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LakeQuality

Lake George

McHenry County, North DakotaView mapDirections

ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake George. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
2.5 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2021
Chlorophyll-a
7.4 µg/L
Typical for North Dakota
Measured by ND DEQ
Water temp
~50°F
Typical for Oct · EPA WQP
Max depth
~23 ft est.
GLOBathy model
  • 23 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Lake George in McHenry County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L.

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Lake George is a lake in McHenry County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 23 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2021-10-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Lake George is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Lake George 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.

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Water quality measurements for Lake George

These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Lake George, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 7.4 µg/L. TSI 57.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)2.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo reading

The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.

Chlorophyll-a (algae)7.4µg/LMeasured, 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.57Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Lake George

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Lake George typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 60°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 62°F) and coldest in May (about 47°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
47°
May
57°
Jun
Jul
62°
Aug
Sep
50°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (47°F) to its warmest (62°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2021–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake George water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

~23 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 Lake George.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

128 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Surface area

86 acres

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

1.7 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,519 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

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • George LakePublic

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 George

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake George in McHenry 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 George

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 whole trip? See where to stay at North Dakota’s top lakes →

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Fishing Lake George

Nearby Lakes in McHenry County

Frequently asked questions about Lake George

Where is Lake George?

Lake George is a lake in McHenry 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 George?

Lake George in McHenry County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lake George safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Lake George?

Lake George typically sits around 50°F at the surface in October, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Lake George?

No published bathymetric survey covers Lake George, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 23 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Are there boat ramps on Lake George?

Lake George has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include George Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Lake George?

Lake George has 1 documented boat landing 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality21NDHDWQ_WQX8 samples · 2021

Analytical methods

  • 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
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