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LakeQuality

Lake Williams

Kidder County, North DakotaView mapDirections

C
Fair

Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.

↓ down from B at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
4.7 ft
Secchi · sampled 2024
Max depth
~16 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Mesotrophic
  • #1 of 3 in the county
  • 16 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Lake Williams in Kidder County, North Dakota has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L.

Clarity
4.7 ft
Max depth
~16 ft est.
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
20 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
1.5 µg/L
Public access
Yes
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Lake Williams is a mesotrophic lake in Kidder County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 16 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 1 sampling years through 2024. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Kidder County, Lake Williams ranks #1 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2024-10-10. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Lake Williams is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Bismarck

Get alerts for Lake Williams

Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)

Murky, only visible to about 4.7 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.5 µg/L. TSI 46. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)4.7 ftNot graded
Phosphorus20 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)1.5 µg/LNot graded
Trophic State Index (TSI)46Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~16 ft est.
Average Depth~13 ft est.
Public AccessYes

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 Williams.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
19 sq mi
Surface area
151 acres
Shoreline
1.8 mi
Elevation
1,752 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
  • Lake WilliamsPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Lake Williams

County Ranking

Ranked #1 of 3 lakes in Kidder County

Nearby Lakes in Kidder County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Williams

Where is Lake Williams?

Lake Williams is a lake in Kidder County, North Dakota. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Lake Williams?

Lake Williams in Kidder County, North Dakota has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L.

Is Lake Williams safe to swim in?

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Lake Williams?

No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Williams, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 16 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 Williams?

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

Where this data comes from

20 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 Quality21NDHDWQ_WQX20 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)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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