North Carlson Lake
Ward County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for North Carlson Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 13 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
North Carlson Lake in Ward County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.9 µg/L.
North Carlson Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Ward County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 13 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Ward County, North Carlson Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2024-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What North Carlson Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 North Carlson 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 North Carlson Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for North Carlson 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 3.7 ft. Phosphorus 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.9 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 29.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.9µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about North Carlson Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~13 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 North Carlson Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
93 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
64 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,034 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
- North Carlson LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing North Carlson Lake
Nearby Lakes in Ward County
Frequently asked questions about North Carlson Lake
Where is North Carlson Lake?
- North Carlson Lake is a lake in Ward 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 North Carlson Lake?
- North Carlson Lake in Ward County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.9 µg/L.
Is North Carlson Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is North Carlson Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers North Carlson Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 13 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 North Carlson Lake?
- North Carlson Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include North Carlson Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at North Carlson Lake?
- North Carlson Lake 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.
Explore North Carlson Lake across LakeQuality
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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 Quality
21NDHDWQ_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