Hehn-Schaffer Lake
Stutsman County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Hehn-Schaffer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 18 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Hehn-Schaffer Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.4 µg/L.
Hehn-Schaffer Lake is a lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 18 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2021-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hehn-Schaffer 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 Hehn-Schaffer Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Hehn-Schaffer 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 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 36 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 15.4 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 36µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 15.4µg/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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Hehn-Schaffer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Hehn-Schaffer Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 60°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 61°F) and coldest in May (about 45°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (45°F) to its warmest (61°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hehn-Schaffer Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~18 ft est.
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 Hehn-Schaffer Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
18 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
52 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,883 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.
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Fishing Hehn-Schaffer Lake
Nearby Lakes in Stutsman County
Frequently asked questions about Hehn-Schaffer Lake
Where is Hehn-Schaffer Lake?
- Hehn-Schaffer Lake is a lake in Stutsman 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 Hehn-Schaffer Lake?
- Hehn-Schaffer Lake in Stutsman County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.4 µg/L.
Is Hehn-Schaffer 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 Hehn-Schaffer Lake?
- Hehn-Schaffer Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hehn-Schaffer Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hehn-Schaffer Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 18 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Hehn-Schaffer Lake?
- Public access to Hehn-Schaffer Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX10 samples · 2020–2021
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish