Kota Ray Dam Lake vs Tioga Dam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Kota Ray Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Tioga Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Williams County, Wisconsin.
Kota Ray Dam Lake and Tioga Dam Lake are both in North Dakota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are meaningfully apart: Kota Ray Dam Lake grades a B while Tioga Dam Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Kota Ray Dam Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Kota Ray Dam Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.7 ft.
Tioga Dam Lake
Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Kota Ray Dam Lake | Tioga Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 7.7 ft | 2.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.5 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 27.7 acres | 82.5 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Kota Ray Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Tioga Dam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 7.7 ft vs 2.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Kota Ray Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.