Free Peoples Lake
Benson County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Free Peoples Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 41 ft max depth
Free Peoples Lake in Benson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 27.6 µg/L.
Free Peoples Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Benson County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Benson County, Free Peoples Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2023-05-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Free Peoples Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Free Peoples 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 Free Peoples Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Free Peoples 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 27.6 µg/L. TSI 52.
| 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 | 27.6µg/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. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Free Peoples Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Free Peoples Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 37 field readings (2019–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Free Peoples Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
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 Free Peoples Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
477 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,447 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Free Peoples Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Free Peoples Lake in Benson 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 Free Peoples Lake
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Fishing Free Peoples Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-3.1 µg/L/yr2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Free Peoples Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Spirit Lake Rural Water System Water Treatment PlantSaint Michael · 2.7 mi away · NPDES ND0031101
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 Benson County
Frequently asked questions about Free Peoples Lake
Where is Free Peoples Lake?
- Free Peoples 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 Free Peoples Lake?
- Free Peoples Lake in Benson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 27.6 µg/L.
Is Free Peoples 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 Free Peoples Lake?
- Free Peoples Lake typically sits around 73°F at the surface in August, from 37 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Free Peoples Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Free Peoples Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Free Peoples Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Spirit Lake Tribal EPA Programs
SPIRITLK12 samples · 2021–2023
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish