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LakeQuality

Tioga Dam Lake

Williams County, North Dakota83 acresView mapDirections

D
Nutrient-rich

Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
2.2 ft
Secchi · sampled 2024
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Eutrophic
  • #6 of 6 in the county
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Tioga Dam Lake in Williams County, North Dakota has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 182 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20 µg/L. Surface area: 82.5 acres.

Clarity
2.2 ft
Area
83 acres
Type
Eutrophic
Public access
Yes
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Stays near Tioga Dam Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tioga Dam Lake in Williams 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Tioga Dam Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Tioga Dam Lake

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Tioga Dam Lake is a 83-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Williams County, North Dakota. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2024. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Williams County, Tioga Dam Lake ranks #6 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2024-10-03. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Tioga Dam Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Tioga Dam Lake

Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)

Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 182 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20 µg/L. TSI 68. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)2.2 ftNot graded
Phosphorus182 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)20 µg/LNot graded
Trophic State Index (TSI)68Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Surface Area83 acres
Public AccessYes

No bathymetric survey has been published for Tioga Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Tioga DamPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Tioga Dam Lake

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Tioga Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tioga Dam (completed 1963), built primarily for recreation on the White Earth River-TR; earth-type dam, 39 ft tall and 1,660 ft long.

Surface area
82.5 ac
Normal storage
820 ac-ft
Max storage
1,630 ac-ft
Drainage area
5.86 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
City of Tioga

All listed purposes: Recreation;Flood Risk Reduction.

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00026 · Operator website

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Tioga Dam Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

  • Hess Tioga Gas Plant Llc
    Tioga · 1.2 mi away · NPDES ND0025836
    Recent violation

Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.

County Ranking

Ranked #6 of 6 lakes in Williams County

Nearby Lakes in Williams County

Frequently asked questions about Tioga Dam Lake

Where is Tioga Dam Lake?

Tioga Dam Lake is a lake in Williams County, North Dakota. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Tioga Dam Lake?

Tioga Dam Lake in Williams County, North Dakota has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 182 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20 µg/L. Surface area: 82.5 acres.

Is Tioga Dam Lake safe to swim in?

The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Are there boat ramps on Tioga Dam Lake?

Tioga Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Tioga Dam. Public access is listed as yes.

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 Quality21NDHDWQ_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)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.

Other records on this page

Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)

Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory