Mt Carmel Dam Lake
Cavalier County, North Dakota386 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Mt Carmel Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 47 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Mt Carmel Dam Lake in Cavalier County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Surface area: 386 acres.
Mt Carmel Dam Lake is a 386-acre lake in Cavalier County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2025-10-22. 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 Mt Carmel Dam 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 Mt Carmel Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Mt Carmel Dam Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft. Chlorophyll-a 6.2 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.9ft | 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) | 6.2µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Mt Carmel Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Mt Carmel Dam Lake typically sits around 43°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 68°F) and coldest in Oct (about 43°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (43°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 20 field readings (2020–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Mt Carmel Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~47 ft est.
Surface area
386 acres
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 Mt Carmel Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
59 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,529 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.
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Stays near Mt Carmel Dam Lake
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Fishing Mt Carmel Dam Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Mt Carmel Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Mount Carmel Dam (completed 1971), built primarily for recreation on the Little South Pembina River; earth-type dam, 47 ft tall and 650 ft long.
- Surface area
- 386 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,013 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 10,707 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 72 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Cavalier County WRB
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00005 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.24 km)
Nearby Lakes in Cavalier County
Frequently asked questions about Mt Carmel Dam Lake
Where is Mt Carmel Dam Lake?
- Mt Carmel Dam Lake is a lake in Cavalier 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 Mt Carmel Dam Lake?
- Mt Carmel Dam Lake in Cavalier County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.2 µg/L. Surface area: 386 acres.
Is Mt Carmel Dam 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 Mt Carmel Dam Lake?
- Mt Carmel Dam Lake typically sits around 43°F at the surface in October, from 20 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2020–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Mt Carmel Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Mt Carmel Dam 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. The lake covers 386 acres.
Can I fish at Mt Carmel Dam Lake?
- Public access to Mt Carmel Dam Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
Explore Mt Carmel Dam Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
17 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX17 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 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