Gordon Center Lake
Rolette County, North Dakota164 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Gordon Center Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Gordon Center Lake in Rolette County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 26.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Surface area: 164 acres.
Gordon Center Lake is a 164-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Rolette County, North Dakota. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Rolette County, Gordon Center Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-23. 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Gordon Center 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 Gordon Center Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Gordon Center Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 26.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.5 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 26.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Gordon Center Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Gordon Center Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 68°F) and coldest in Feb (about 37°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (37°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 132 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Gordon Center Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
164 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Gordon Center Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Gordon Center Lake
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Fishing Gordon Center Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+8.3 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.39 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Gordon Center Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gordon (completed 1960), built primarily for recreation on the Ox Creek; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 365 ft long.
- Surface area
- 164 ac
- Normal storage
- 926 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,643 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.43 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BIA
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND01068 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.28 km)
Nearby Lakes in Rolette County
Frequently asked questions about Gordon Center Lake
Where is Gordon Center Lake?
- Gordon Center Lake is a lake in Rolette 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 Gordon Center Lake?
- Gordon Center Lake in Rolette County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 26.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Surface area: 164 acres.
Is Gordon Center 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 Gordon Center Lake?
- Gordon Center Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September, from 132 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Gordon Center Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
153 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Turtle Mountain Environmental Office (Tribal)
TURTLEMT153 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- GS_UNKNOWN
- 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
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish