Brewer Lake
Cass County, North Dakota130 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Brewer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 33 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Brewer Lake in Cass County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31.1 µg/L. Surface area: 130 acres.
Brewer Lake is a 130-acre lake in Cass County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 33 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2020-10-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Brewer Lake covers about 130 acres in Cass County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Brewer Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Brewer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Brewer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Brewer 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 Brewer Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Brewer 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 4.3 ft. Chlorophyll-a 31.1 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.3ft | 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) | 31.1µg/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. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Brewer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Brewer Lake typically sits around 40°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 68°F) and coldest in Oct (about 40°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (40°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2020–2020) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Brewer Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~33 ft est.
Surface area
130 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 Brewer Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,135 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
- Brewer LakePublic
- Brewer 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 Brewer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Brewer Lake in Cass 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Brewer Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Brewer Lake → · more North Dakota lake trips
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Fishing Brewer Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Brewer Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Erie Dam (completed 1970), built primarily for recreation on the Rush River - TR; earth-type dam, 51 ft tall and 810 ft long.
- Surface area
- 130 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,650 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,050 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7.73 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- ND Game and Fish
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00030 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Brewer Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit ND-09020204-003-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Brewer Lake
Where is Brewer Lake?
- Brewer Lake is a lake in Cass 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 Brewer Lake?
- Brewer Lake in Cass County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31.1 µg/L. Surface area: 130 acres.
Is Brewer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Brewer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Brewer Lake?
- Brewer Lake typically sits around 40°F at the surface in October, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2020–2020). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Brewer Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Brewer Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 33 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 130 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Brewer Lake?
- Brewer Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Brewer Lake, Brewer Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Brewer Lake?
- Brewer 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 Brewer Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX9 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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