Barnes Lake
Stutsman County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Barnes Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 14 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Barnes Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L.
Barnes Lake is a lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 14 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 2021-10-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Barnes Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Barnes Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Barnes Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Barnes Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.4 ft. Chlorophyll-a 24 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Barnes Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Barnes Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 62°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (48°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2021–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Barnes Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~14 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by ND DEQ
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 Barnes Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
34 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
450 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,818 ft
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
- Barnes LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Barnes Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Barnes Lake
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Fishing Barnes Lake
Nearby Lakes in Stutsman County
Frequently asked questions about Barnes Lake
Where is Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake is a lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by ND DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L.
Is Barnes Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Barnes Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Barnes Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 14 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Barnes Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Dakota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Barnes Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX7 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
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