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LakeQuality
Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water
C

Wells County Lake Quality

North Dakota, 14 lakes, average grade C (Fair)

Wells County holds 14 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 1 of those lake 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. Harvey Dam Lake (C) is the cleanest in the county.

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All Lakes in Wells County

14 lakes · 1 graded, 13 not rated1 graded lake · 13 not rated, hidden

#LakeGradeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicAccess
1CHarvey Dam LakeWellsC5.4 ft147 µg/L6.8 µg/LNo recent samples✓ Public
NRHurdsfield-Tuffy LakeWellsNR9.5 ftNo recent samples10.3 µg/LNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRSorenson LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NREgg LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRGoose LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRNorway LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRZumpf LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRGoose LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRDuck LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRHirshkorn LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRCrystal LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRLake OntarioWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRCottonwood LakeWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRLake HiawathaWellsNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples✓ Public

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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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.