Lake Ashtabula
Barnes County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Ashtabula. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
Lake Ashtabula in Barnes County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 291 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L.
Lake Ashtabula is a mesotrophic lake in Barnes County, North Dakota. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Barnes County, Lake Ashtabula ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-05-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Ashtabula Water Quality Summary (2026)
A printable one-page summary for Lake Ashtabula: clarity, phosphorus, algae, multi-year trend, depth, and fish — with sources.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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 Lake Ashtabula 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 Lake Ashtabula
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Lake Ashtabula, 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 3.4 ft. Phosphorus 291 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.3 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 291µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.3µg/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. | 63 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Ashtabula
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Jul 6, 2026, 5:00 AM from gauge 05057500 (Lake Ashtabula at Baldhill Dam, ND). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
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Fishing Lake Ashtabula
Nearby Lakes in Barnes County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Ashtabula
Where is Lake Ashtabula?
- Lake Ashtabula is a lake in Barnes 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 Lake Ashtabula?
- Lake Ashtabula in Barnes County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 291 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L.
Is Lake Ashtabula safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water level at Lake Ashtabula?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Lake Ashtabula is 1267.1 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Jul 6, 2026, 5:00 AM at gauge 05057500. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Can I fish at Lake Ashtabula?
- Public access to Lake Ashtabula 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
507 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX507 samples · 2020–2025
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 (2)
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.