Belfield Dam Lake
Stark County, North Dakota9 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Belfield Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Belfield Dam Lake in Stark County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L. Surface area: 8.9 acres.
Belfield Dam Lake is a 9-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Stark County, North Dakota. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Stark County, Belfield Dam Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2023-10-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Belfield Dam 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 Belfield Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Belfield Dam 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 3.8 ft. Phosphorus 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.2 µg/L. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 53µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.2µg/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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Belfield Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Belfield Dam Lake typically sits around 47°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 68°F) and coldest in Oct (about 47°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (47°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 14 field readings (2023–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Belfield Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
9 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Belfield Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Belfield Dam Lake
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Fishing Belfield Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Belfield Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Belfield Railroad Dam (completed 1910), built primarily for recreation on the Norwegian Creek; earth-type dam, 20 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 8.9 ac
- Normal storage
- 70 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 127 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.67 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Belfield
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00459 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Belfield Dam Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Belfield City OfBelfield · 1.4 mi away · NPDES ND0022144Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Stark County
Frequently asked questions about Belfield Dam Lake
Where is Belfield Dam Lake?
- Belfield Dam Lake is a lake in Stark 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 Belfield Dam Lake?
- Belfield Dam Lake in Stark County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L. Surface area: 8.9 acres.
Is Belfield Dam 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 Belfield Dam Lake?
- Belfield Dam Lake typically sits around 47°F at the surface in October, from 14 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Belfield Dam Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Theodore Roosevelt?
Belfield Dam Lake is about 23 miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Theodore Roosevelt →More lakes in North Dakota
Other Lakes in North Dakota
Eutrophic Lakes in North Dakota
Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX20 samples · 2023
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)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish