Odland Dam Lake
Golden Valley County, North Dakota128 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Odland Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 12 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Odland Dam Lake in Golden Valley County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.6 µg/L. Surface area: 128.2 acres.
Odland Dam Lake is a 128-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Golden Valley County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 12 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 2023-10-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Odland Dam 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 Odland 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 Odland Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Odland Dam 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 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 135.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 29.6 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 136µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 29.6µg/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. | 70 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Odland Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Odland Dam Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 68°F) and coldest in Oct (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 14 field readings (2023–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Odland Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~12 ft est.
Surface area
128 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 Odland Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
85 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,625 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
- Odland 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 Odland Dam Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Odland Dam Lake in Golden Valley 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 Odland Dam Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Odland Dam 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Odland Dam Lake → · more North Dakota lake trips
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Fishing Odland Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Odland Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Odland Dam (completed 1936), built primarily for recreation on the Little Beaver Creek; arch-type dam, 28 ft tall and 120 ft long.
- Surface area
- 128.2 ac
- Normal storage
- 615 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,836 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 85.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Golden Valley County WRB
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00120 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Golden Valley County
Frequently asked questions about Odland Dam Lake
Where is Odland Dam Lake?
- Odland Dam Lake is a lake in Golden Valley 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 Odland Dam Lake?
- Odland Dam Lake in Golden Valley County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.6 µg/L. Surface area: 128.2 acres.
Is Odland 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 Odland Dam Lake?
- Odland Dam Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in October, from 14 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Odland Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Odland Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 12 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 128.2 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Odland Dam Lake?
- Odland Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Odland Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Odland Dam Lake?
- Odland 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.
Explore Odland Dam Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Theodore Roosevelt?
Odland Dam Lake is about 29 miles from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Theodore Roosevelt →More lakes in North Dakota
Other Lakes in North Dakota
Hypereutrophic Lakes in North Dakota
Where this data comes from
21 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX21 samples · 2023
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