Renwick Dam Lake
Pembina County, North Dakota223 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Renwick Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Renwick Dam Lake in Pembina County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 257 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Surface area: 223 acres.
Renwick Dam Lake is a 223-acre mesotrophic lake in Pembina County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 46 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 2025-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Renwick 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. Renwick Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Renwick 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 Renwick Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Renwick 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 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 257 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.5 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 257µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 63 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Renwick Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Renwick Dam Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 66°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 72°F) and coldest in Sep (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 (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 25 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Renwick Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~46 ft est.
Surface area
223 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 Renwick Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
140 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
968 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
- Renwick 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 Renwick Dam Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Renwick Dam Lake
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Fishing Renwick Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Renwick Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Renwick Dam (completed 1962), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Tongue River; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 1,400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 223 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,478 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 11,658 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 144 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Pembina County WRB
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00054 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Renwick Dam Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit ND-09020316-002-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Pembina County
Frequently asked questions about Renwick Dam Lake
Where is Renwick Dam Lake?
- Renwick Dam Lake is a lake in Pembina 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 Renwick Dam Lake?
- Renwick Dam Lake in Pembina County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 257 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L. Surface area: 223 acres.
Is Renwick Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Renwick Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Renwick Dam Lake?
- Renwick Dam Lake typically sits around 51°F at the surface in September, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Renwick Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Renwick Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 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 223 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Renwick Dam Lake?
- Renwick Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Renwick Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Renwick Dam Lake?
- Renwick 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 Renwick Dam Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX23 samples · 2023–2025
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 (3)
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