Lake Upsilon
Rolette County, North Dakota110 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Upsilon. Here is what has been measured.
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Upsilon in Rolette County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 110 acres.
Lake Upsilon is a 110-acre lake in Rolette County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-10-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Upsilon covers about 110 acres in Rolette County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Upsilon on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Upsilon is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Upsilon 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 Upsilon
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Lake Upsilon, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Upsilon
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Upsilon typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 50°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (50°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 39 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Upsilon water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~45 ft est.
Surface area
110 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 Upsilon.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,106 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
- Upsilon 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 Upsilon
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Upsilon in Rolette 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 Upsilon
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 Upsilon → · more North Dakota lake trips
Follow Lake Upsilon’s readings
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Fishing Lake Upsilon
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Upsilon is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wakopa Dam (completed 1966), built primarily for recreation on the Badger Creek; earth-type dam, 17 ft tall and 543 ft long.
- Surface area
- 110 ac
- Normal storage
- 330 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 560 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- ND Game & Fish
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00157 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Rolette County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Upsilon
Where is Lake Upsilon?
- Lake Upsilon is a lake in Rolette 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 Upsilon?
- Lake Upsilon in Rolette County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 110 acres.
Is Lake Upsilon 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 Lake Upsilon?
- Lake Upsilon typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October, from 39 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lake Upsilon?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Upsilon, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 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 110 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Upsilon?
- Lake Upsilon has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upsilon Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Upsilon?
- Lake Upsilon 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.
Explore Lake Upsilon across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX16 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 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