Armourdale Dam Lake
Towner County, North Dakota80 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 17 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Armourdale Dam Lake in Towner County, North Dakota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 79.8 acres.
- Clarity
- 7.2 ft
- Typical in September
- 50°F
- Max depth
- ~17 ft est.
- Area
- 80 acres
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Armourdale Dam Lake’s letter
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Why Armourdale Dam Lake has no grade
Armourdale Dam Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Armourdale Dam Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 7.2-foot median from 8 readings collected 2025 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by NDDEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Armourdale Dam Lake is a 80-acre lake in Towner County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 17 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-10-01. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Armourdale Dam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Armourdale Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Armourdale Dam Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft. TSI 49.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 7.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 49 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Water Temperature
Armourdale Dam Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 64°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 18 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Armourdale Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~17 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~10 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 80 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Dakota has not published bathymetry for Armourdale Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Armourdale DamPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Armourdale Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Armourdale Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Armourdale Dam (completed 1961), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Badger Coulee-TR; earth-type dam, 46 ft tall and 650 ft long.
- Surface area
- 79.8 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,123 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,162 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- ND Game & Fish
All listed purposes: Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00008 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Armourdale Dam Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit ND-09020315-006-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Armourdale Dam Lake
Armourdale Dam Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Towner County
Frequently asked questions about Armourdale Dam Lake
Where is Armourdale Dam Lake?
- Armourdale Dam Lake is a lake in Towner County, North Dakota. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Armourdale Dam Lake?
- Armourdale Dam Lake in Towner County, North Dakota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 79.8 acres.
Is Armourdale Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Armourdale Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Armourdale Dam Lake?
- Armourdale Dam Lake typically sits around 50°F at the surface in September, from 18 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Armourdale Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Armourdale Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 17 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 79.8 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Armourdale Dam Lake?
- Armourdale Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Armourdale Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX8 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- 4500 NO3 E ~ Nitrate in Water- Cadmium Reduction
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory