Stark County Lake Quality
North Dakota, 4 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Stark County holds 4 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 3 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The county average is C — the middle of the rubric, with one or two lakes pulling the average up or down depending on year.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. E A Patterson Lake (C) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Stark County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for E A Patterson Lake — or check the official North Dakota fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Stark County
4 lakes · 3 graded, 1 not rated3 graded lakes · 1 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CE A Patterson LakeStark | C | 6 ft | 246 µg/L | 15.9 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | CBelfield Dam LakeStark | C | 3.8 ft | 53 µg/L | 5.2 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | CPatterson LakeStark | C | No recent samples | 293.5 µg/L | 7.8 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRAbbey LakeStark | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in North Dakota
See how Stark County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.