Moores Lake
Dickey County, North Dakota29 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Moores Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Moores Lake in Dickey County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Surface area: 29.2 acres.
Moores Lake is a 29-acre lake in Dickey County, North Dakota.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2021-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Moores Lake 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 Moores Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Moores Lake, 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 6.2 ft. Chlorophyll-a 2.4 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.2ft | 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) | 2.4µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Moores Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Moores Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 63°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 65°F) and coldest in May (about 46°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (46°F) to its warmest (65°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 18 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Moores Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
29 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Moores Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Moores Lake
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Fishing Moores Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Moores Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Moores Dam (completed 1949), built primarily for recreation on the Elm River (James)-TR; earth-type dam, 21 ft tall and 1,065 ft long.
- Surface area
- 29.2 ac
- Normal storage
- 295.5 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 495.8 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.63 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Dickey County WRB
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00271 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Dickey County
Frequently asked questions about Moores Lake
Where is Moores Lake?
- Moores Lake is a lake in Dickey 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 Moores Lake?
- Moores Lake in Dickey County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Surface area: 29.2 acres.
Is Moores Lake 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 Moores Lake?
- Moores Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 18 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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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 Quality
21NDHDWQ_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
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish