Lake Audubon
McLean County, North Dakota19,095 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Audubon. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 102 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Audubon in McLean County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.7 µg/L. Surface area: 19095 acres.
Lake Audubon is a 19,095-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in McLean County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 102 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 10 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in McLean County, Lake Audubon ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2024-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 19,000 acres, Lake Audubon is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 10 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Audubon on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Audubon is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch10 documented ramps
- Big water19,095 acres
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 Lake Audubon 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 Audubon
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Lake Audubon, 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 4.7 ft. Phosphorus 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.7 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 31µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.7µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Audubon
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~102 ft est.
Surface area
19,095 acres
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 Lake Audubon.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
251 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
91 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,827 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.
Recreation & Access
- Lake AudubonPublic
- Lake SakakaweaPublic
- Lake AudubonPublic
- Lake AudubonPublic
- Lake AudubonPublic
- Lake AudubonPublic
Showing 6 of 10 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Audubon
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Audubon in McLean 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 Lake Audubon
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Audubon → · more North Dakota lake trips
Follow Lake Audubon’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Lake Audubon
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Audubon is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Garrison Dam - Snake Creek Embankment (completed 1952), built primarily for other on the MISSOURI; earth-type dam, 95 ft tall and 12,900 ft long.
- Surface area
- 19,095 ac
- Normal storage
- 346,419 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 396,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 250 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- USACE - Omaha District
All listed purposes: Other;Irrigation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00145 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in McLean County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Audubon
Where is Lake Audubon?
- Lake Audubon is a lake in McLean 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 Audubon?
- Lake Audubon in McLean County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.7 µg/L. Surface area: 19095 acres.
Is Lake Audubon safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Audubon?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Audubon, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 102 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 19095 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Audubon?
- Lake Audubon has 10 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Audubon, Lake Sakakawea, Lake Audubon, Lake Audubon, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Audubon?
- Lake Audubon has 10 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Explore Lake Audubon across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at North Dakota's top lakes, each with its readings
North Dakota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in North Dakota
Other Lakes in North Dakota
Eutrophic Lakes in North Dakota
Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX22 samples · 2024
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory