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LakeQuality

Short Creek Dam Lake vs White Earth Dam Lake

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

Short Creek Dam Lake and White Earth Dam Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Wisconsin.

Short Creek Dam Lake and White Earth 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. The grades are close: Short Creek Dam Lake (C) and White Earth Dam 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.

C

Short Creek Dam Lake

Burke County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft.

C

White Earth Dam Lake

Mountrail County, Wisconsin

Very murky, less than 3 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.

MetricShort Creek Dam LakeWhite Earth Dam Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)C (Fair)
Water Clarity3.8 ft3 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)9.3 µg/L3.5 µg/L
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area112 acres160.2 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophiceutrophic

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 (Short Creek Dam Lake: 3.8 ft, White Earth Dam Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Short Creek Dam Lake matches its peer on species count.