Horseshoe Lake
Eddy County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Horseshoe Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 48 ft max depth
- Limited data
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Horseshoe Lake in Eddy County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 46.7 µg/L.
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Horseshoe Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Eddy County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 48 feet. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Eddy County, Horseshoe Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2022-08-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Horseshoe 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 Horseshoe Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Horseshoe 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 46.7 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | 46.7 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 60 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~48 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~13 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 Horseshoe Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Horseshoe Lake
Nearby Lakes in Eddy County
Frequently asked questions about Horseshoe Lake
Where is Horseshoe Lake?
- Horseshoe Lake is a lake in Eddy 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 Horseshoe Lake?
- Horseshoe Lake in Eddy County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 46.7 µg/L.
Is Horseshoe Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Horseshoe Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Horseshoe Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 48 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Horseshoe Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Spirit Lake Tribal EPA Programs
SPIRITLK8 samples · 2022
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish