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LakeQuality

Lake Butte des Morts vs Little Lake Butte des Morts

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Lake Butte des Morts and Little Lake Butte des Morts both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Both are in Winnebago County, Wisconsin.

Lake Butte des Morts and Little Lake Butte des Morts are both in Wisconsin — 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lake Butte des Morts (F) versus Little Lake Butte des Morts (F). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.

F

Lake Butte des Morts

Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.

F

Little Lake Butte des Morts

Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricLake Butte des MortsLittle Lake Butte des Morts
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)F (Very Poor)
Water Clarity2.3 ft2 ft
PhosphorusNo data133.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth9 ft18 ft
Surface Area8.6K acres1.2K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophichypereutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Lake Butte des Morts: 2.3 ft, Little Lake Butte des Morts: 2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lake Butte des Morts matches its peer on species count.