North Golden Lake vs South Golden Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Golden Lake and South Golden Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Steele County, Wisconsin.
Both North Golden Lake and South Golden Lake sit in North Dakota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — North Golden Lake (C) versus South Golden Lake (C). 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.
North Golden Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.
South Golden Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | North Golden Lake | South Golden Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 3.8 ft | 6.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 18.5 µg/L | 12.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 313 acres | 330 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (North Golden Lake: 3.8 ft, South Golden Lake: 6.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. North Golden Lake matches its peer on species count.