Northgate Dam Lake
Burke County, North Dakota152 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Northgate Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 18 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Northgate Dam Lake in Burke County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.4 µg/L. Surface area: 152 acres.
Northgate Dam Lake is a 152-acre lake in Burke County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 18 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2021-10-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Northgate Dam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Northgate Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Northgate 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 Northgate Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Northgate 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 9.4 ft. Chlorophyll-a 6.4 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.4ft | 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) | 6.4µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Northgate Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Northgate Dam Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 67°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 71°F) and coldest in Jan (about 38°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (38°F) to its warmest (71°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 59 field readings (2012–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Northgate Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~18 ft est.
Surface area
152 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 Northgate Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
147 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,890 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
- Northgate DamPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Northgate Dam Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Northgate Dam Lake
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Fishing Northgate Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Northgate Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Northgate Dam 2 (completed 1968), built primarily for recreation on the Stoney Run Creek; earth-type dam, 51 ft tall and 1,146 ft long.
- Surface area
- 152 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,280 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 72 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Burke County WRB
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00010 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.07 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Northgate Dam Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit ND-09010002-002-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Burke County
Frequently asked questions about Northgate Dam Lake
Where is Northgate Dam Lake?
- Northgate Dam Lake is a lake in Burke 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 Northgate Dam Lake?
- Northgate Dam Lake in Burke County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.4 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.4 µg/L. Surface area: 152 acres.
Is Northgate Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Northgate Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Northgate Dam Lake?
- Northgate Dam Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October, from 59 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Northgate Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Northgate Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 18 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 152 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Northgate Dam Lake?
- Northgate Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Northgate Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Northgate Dam Lake?
- Northgate Dam 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.
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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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
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