Whitman Dam Lake
Nelson County, North Dakota143 acresView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Whitman Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Whitman Dam Lake in Nelson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12 ft visibility. Surface area: 143.4 acres.
Whitman Dam Lake is a 143-acre lake in Nelson County, North Dakota. 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 Whitman Dam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Whitman Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Whitman 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 Whitman Dam Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Whitman Dam Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12 ft. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12ft | 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) | No reading 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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Whitman Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Whitman Dam Lake typically sits around 46°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 68°F) and coldest in Oct (about 46°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (46°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Whitman Dam Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
143 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by ND DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Whitman Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Whitman 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 Whitman Dam Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Whitman Dam Lake
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Fishing Whitman Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Whitman Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Whitman Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Middle Branch Forest River; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 143.4 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,355.5 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 9,364 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 84.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Walsh County WRB
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID ND00207 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Whitman 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-09020308-002-L_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Nelson County
Frequently asked questions about Whitman Dam Lake
Where is Whitman Dam Lake?
- Whitman Dam Lake is a lake in Nelson 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 Whitman Dam Lake?
- Whitman Dam Lake in Nelson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12 ft visibility. Surface area: 143.4 acres.
Is Whitman Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Whitman Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Whitman Dam Lake?
- Whitman Dam Lake typically sits around 46°F at the surface in October, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Are there boat ramps on Whitman Dam Lake?
- Whitman Dam Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Whitman Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Whitman Dam Lake?
- Whitman 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 Whitman Dam Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Dakota Department Of Environmental Quality
21NDHDWQ_WQX8 samples · 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 (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
Depth, fish, and access data from North Dakota Game & Fish
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory