Lake Laretta vs West Stump Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
West Stump Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Lake Laretta (D, Poor). Both are in Nelson County, North Dakota.
Lake Laretta and West Stump 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 close: Lake Laretta (D) and West Stump Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Lake Laretta
Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.
West Stump Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Laretta | West Stump Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 3.8 ft | 9.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 266 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 21.7 µg/L | 39.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 24 ft | 77.1 ft |
| Surface Area | 682.6 acres | 17.7K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 3 | 4 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
West Stump Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Lake Laretta's Grade D. Water clarity: 9.8 ft vs 3.8 ft. For fishing diversity, West Stump Lake also leads with 4 species.