Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake
Towner County, North Dakota240 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.
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake in Towner County, North Dakota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Surface area: 240 acres.
- Clarity
- 8 ft
- Typical in September
- 60°F
- Max depth
- ~54 ft est.
- Area
- 240 acres
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake’s letter
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Why Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake has no grade
Bisbee-Big Coulee 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, Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 8-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.
Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake is a 240-acre lake in Towner County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 54 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 Bisbee-Big Coulee 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. TSI 47.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 47 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Water Temperature
Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 15 field readings (2015–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~54 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 240 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 Bisbee-Big Coulee 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
- Bisbee Dam-Big CouleePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Coulee Dam (completed 1968), built primarily for recreation on the Big Coulee; earth-type dam, 39 ft tall and 1,170 ft long.
- Surface area
- 240 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,222.8 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,103 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 108 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Bisbee
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00015 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.14 km)
Graded lakes near Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake
Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Towner County
Frequently asked questions about Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake
Where is Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake?
- Bisbee-Big Coulee 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 Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake?
- Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake in Towner County, North Dakota is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Surface area: 240 acres.
Is Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake?
- Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in September, from 15 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2015–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 54 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 240 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake?
- Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bisbee Dam-Big Coulee. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Bisbee-Big Coulee Dam Lake across LakeQuality
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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
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