Tolna 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 Tolna Dam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Nelson County, Wisconsin.
Both Tolna Dam Lake and Whitman Dam 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. Whitman Dam Lake (B) is materially cleaner than Tolna Dam Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Whitman Dam 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?
Tolna Dam Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft.
Whitman Dam Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Tolna Dam Lake | Whitman Dam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 4.9 ft | 12 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 166.3 acres | 143.4 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
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 Tolna Dam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 12 ft vs 4.9 ft. For fishing diversity, Whitman Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.