Morrison Lake
Ramsey County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Morrison Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 47 ft max depth
- Limited data
Morrison Lake in Ramsey County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 548.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 85.9 µg/L.
Morrison Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Ramsey County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Ramsey County, Morrison Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2023-10-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Morrison Lake Water Quality Summary (2026)
A printable one-page summary for Morrison Lake: clarity, phosphorus, algae, multi-year trend, depth, and fish — with sources.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited 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 Morrison 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 Morrison Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Morrison Lake, 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 1.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 548.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 85.9 µg/L. TSI 79.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 549µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 85.9µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 79 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Morrison Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Jul 6, 2026, 4:45 AM from gauge 05056222 (Morrison Lake Near Webster, ND). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Morrison Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Water Temperature
Morrison Lake typically sits around 45°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 74°F) and coldest in Feb (about 34°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (34°F) to its warmest (74°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 293 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Morrison Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~47 ft est.
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 Morrison Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
843 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
1,908 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,447 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Morrison Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Morrison Lake in Ramsey 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Morrison Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Morrison Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 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 Morrison Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+35.8 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-6.57 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Ramsey County
Frequently asked questions about Morrison Lake
Where is Morrison Lake?
- Morrison Lake is a lake in Ramsey 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 Morrison Lake?
- Morrison Lake in Ramsey County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 548.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 85.9 µg/L.
Is Morrison 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 Morrison Lake?
- Morrison Lake typically sits around 45°F at the surface in October, from 293 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Morrison Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Morrison Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 47 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
What is the water level at Morrison Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Morrison Lake is 1460.57 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Jul 6, 2026, 4:45 AM at gauge 05056222. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Explore Morrison Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
34 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS North Dakota Water Science Center
USGS-ND34 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
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