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LakeQuality

Lake Williams

Kidder County, North DakotaView mapDirections

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

Clarity
4.7 ft
Typical for North Dakota
Secchi · sampled 2024
Phosphorus
20 µg/L
Less phosphorus than most
Measured by ND DEQ
Chlorophyll-a
1.5 µg/L
Less algae than most
Measured by ND DEQ
Max depth
~16 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Type
Mesotrophic
Trophic class
  • Mesotrophic
  • 16 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Lake Williams in Kidder County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L.

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Lake Williams is a mesotrophic lake in Kidder County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 16 feet. 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. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Lake Williams is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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 Williams 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 Williams

These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Lake Williams, 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 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.5 µg/L. TSI 46.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)4.7ftMeasured, not scored

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

Total phosphorus20µg/LMeasured, not scored

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

Chlorophyll-a (algae)1.5µg/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.46Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Lake Williams

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

Lake Details

Max depth

~16 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 Williams.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

19 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Surface area

151 acres

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

1.8 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

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

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lake Williams

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Williams in Kidder 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 Williams

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Fishing Lake Williams

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. Its water-quality measurements are published by ND DEQ and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Lake Williams?

Lake Williams in Kidder County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lake Williams safe to swim in?

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

Swimming on this page ↑

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.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Lake Williams?

Lake Williams 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

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)

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