Fort Totten Bay Lake
Benson County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Fort Totten Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
Fort Totten Bay Lake in Benson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 18.3 µg/L.
Fort Totten Bay Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Benson County, North Dakota. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Benson County, Fort Totten Bay Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2023-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Fort Totten Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Fort Totten Bay 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 Fort Totten Bay Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Fort Totten Bay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 18.3 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 18.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Fort Totten Bay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Fort Totten Bay Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 72°F) and coldest in Jul (about 71°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (71°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 20 field readings (2017–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Fort Totten Bay Lake water temperature breakdown →
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Stays near Fort Totten Bay Lake
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Fishing Fort Totten Bay Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Phosphorus
Improving-5.25 µg/L/yr4 years
EPA Impairment Status
Fort Totten Bay 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: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit ND-09020201-006-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Benson County
Frequently asked questions about Fort Totten Bay Lake
Where is Fort Totten Bay Lake?
- Fort Totten Bay Lake is a lake in Benson 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 Fort Totten Bay Lake?
- Fort Totten Bay Lake in Benson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 18.3 µg/L.
Is Fort Totten Bay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Fort Totten Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Fort Totten Bay Lake?
- Fort Totten Bay Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in August, from 20 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Fort Totten Bay Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Spirit Lake Tribal EPA Programs
SPIRITLK16 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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