Short Creek Dam Lake
Burke County, North Dakota112 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Short Creek Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 19 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Short Creek Dam Lake in Burke County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.3 µg/L. Surface area: 112 acres.
Short Creek Dam Lake is a 112-acre lake in Burke County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 19 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 Short Creek 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. Short Creek 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 Short Creek 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 Short Creek Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Short Creek Dam 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 3.8 ft. Chlorophyll-a 9.3 µg/L. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.8ft | 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) | 9.3µg/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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Short Creek Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Jul 6, 2026, 5:00 AM from gauge 05113750 (E. Branch Short Creek Reservoir Near Columbus, ND). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
Water Temperature
Short Creek Dam Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 71°F) and coldest in Jan (about 39°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (39°F) to its warmest (71°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 68 field readings (2010–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Short Creek Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~19 ft est.
Surface area
112 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 Short Creek Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
228 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,886 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
- Short Creek DamPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Short Creek Dam Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Short Creek Dam Lake
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Fishing Short Creek Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Short Creek Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Short Creek Dam 1 (completed 1962), built primarily for recreation on the East Branch Short Creek; earth-type dam, 38 ft tall and 1,018 ft long.
- Surface area
- 112 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,765 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 164 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- ND Game & Fish
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00018 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.39 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Short Creek 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-09010007-001-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Burke County
Frequently asked questions about Short Creek Dam Lake
Where is Short Creek Dam Lake?
- Short Creek 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 Short Creek Dam Lake?
- Short Creek Dam Lake in Burke County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.3 µg/L. Surface area: 112 acres.
Is Short Creek Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Short Creek 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 Short Creek Dam Lake?
- Short Creek Dam Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in October, from 68 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Short Creek Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Short Creek Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 19 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 112 acres.
What is the water level at Short Creek Dam Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Short Creek Dam Lake is 1888 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Jul 6, 2026, 5:00 AM at gauge 05113750. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Short Creek Dam Lake?
- Short Creek Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Short Creek Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Short Creek Dam Lake?
- Short Creek 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