Silver Lake vs Sprague Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Silver Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Sprague Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Sargent County, Wisconsin.
Silver Lake and Sprague 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 meaningfully apart: Silver Lake grades a C while Sprague Lake grades a F. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Silver Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Silver Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft.
Sprague Lake
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Silver Lake | Sprague Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 5.9 ft | 1.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 10.5 µg/L | 43.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 124 acres | 58 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
Silver Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Sprague Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 5.9 ft vs 1.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Silver Lake also leads with 0 species.