Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
Bowman County, North Dakota1,750 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Bowman-Haley Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 76 ft max depth
- Public access
Bowman-Haley Dam Lake in Bowman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 96.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1750 acres.
Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is a 1,750-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Bowman County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 76 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Bowman County, Bowman-Haley Dam Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,750 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bowman-Haley 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 Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Bowman-Haley 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 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 96.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.2 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 96.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.2µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bowman-Haley Dam Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 72°F) and coldest in May (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 731 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bowman-Haley Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~76 ft est.
Surface area
1,750 acres
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 Bowman-Haley Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
493 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
13.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,749 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
- Bowman-Haley DamPublic
- Bowman-Haley DamPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bowman-Haley Dam Lake in Bowman County, North Dakota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Bowman-Haley Dam Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
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Fishing Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-5.15 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.21 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bowman-Haley Dam (completed 1967), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the NORTH FORK GRAND RIVER; earth-type dam, 79 ft tall and 5,730 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,750 ac
- Normal storage
- 19,780 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 171,838 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 471 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Omaha District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00147 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit ND-10130301-001-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Bowman County
Frequently asked questions about Bowman-Haley Dam Lake
Where is Bowman-Haley Dam Lake?
- Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is a lake in Bowman 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 Bowman-Haley Dam Lake?
- Bowman-Haley Dam Lake in Bowman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 96.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1750 acres.
Is Bowman-Haley Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bowman-Haley Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bowman-Haley Dam Lake?
- Bowman-Haley Dam Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 731 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bowman-Haley Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bowman-Haley Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 76 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 1750 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Bowman-Haley Dam Lake?
- Bowman-Haley Dam Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bowman-Haley Dam, Bowman-Haley Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bowman-Haley Dam Lake?
- Bowman-Haley Dam Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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 Bowman-Haley Dam Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at North Dakota's top lakes, each with its readings
North Dakota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
228 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX228 samples · 2021–2025
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)
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
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