Morrison Lake
Ramsey County, North DakotaView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.
- Hypereutrophic
- #8 of 8 in the county
- 47 ft max depth
- Limited data
Morrison Lake in Ramsey County, North Dakota has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 548.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 85.9 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 1.9 ft
- Typical in September
- 58°F
- Max depth
- ~47 ft est.
- Type
- Hypereutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 548.5 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 85.9 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Morrison Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Morrison Lake
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Watch Morrison Lake’s letter
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Morrison Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Ramsey County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2023. 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. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Morrison Lake Water Quality Report Card (2026)
A printable one-page report card for Morrison Lake: grade, clarity, phosphorus, algae, multi-year trend, depth, and fish — with sources.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited 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 F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 548.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 85.9 µg/L. TSI 79. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 548.5 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 85.9 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 79 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 2:45 PM 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 58°F at the surface in September. 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.
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
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~47 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~5 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
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.
Fishing Morrison Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +2.05 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +35.8 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -6.57 µg/L/yr | 4 |
County Ranking
Ranked #8 of 8 lakes in Ramsey County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Morrison Lake holds Grade F. 2 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
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. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Morrison Lake?
- Morrison Lake in Ramsey County, North Dakota has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). 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?
- The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Morrison Lake?
- Morrison Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in September, 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 1459.51 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 2:45 PM 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)
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