Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Larimore Dam Lake vs North Golden Lake

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

North Golden Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Larimore Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.

Larimore Dam Lake and North Golden 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: Larimore Dam Lake (D) and North Golden Lake (C) 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.

D

Larimore Dam Lake

Grand Forks County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.

C

North Golden Lake

Steele County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.

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.

MetricLarimore Dam LakeNorth Golden Lake
Overall GradeD (Poor)C (Fair)
Water Clarity3 ft3.8 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)13.3 µg/L18.5 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area72 acres313 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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

Verdict

North Golden Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Larimore Dam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 3.8 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, North Golden Lake also leads with 0 species.