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LakeQuality

Mcville Dam Lake vs Whitman Dam Lake

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

Whitman Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Mcville Dam Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Nelson County, Wisconsin.

Mcville Dam Lake and Whitman 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Mcville Dam Lake (C) versus Whitman Dam Lake (B). 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.

C

Mcville Dam Lake

Nelson County, Wisconsin

Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.

B

Whitman Dam Lake

Nelson County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 12 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.

MetricMcville Dam LakeWhitman Dam Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)B (Good)
Water Clarity6.9 ft12 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area33.4 acres143.4 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Whitman Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Mcville Dam Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 12 ft vs 6.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Whitman Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.