Wood Lake
Benson County, North DakotaView mapDirections
ND DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Wood Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 32 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Wood Lake in Benson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 5.3 µg/L.
Wood Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Benson County, North Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 32 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Benson County, Wood Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDDEQ, last sampled 2023-08-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Wood Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
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 Wood 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 Wood Lake
These are the measurements ND DEQ publishes for Wood Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 5.3 µg/L. TSI 28.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 5.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 28 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Wood Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Wood Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 71°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 73°F) and coldest in Mar (about 33°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (33°F) to its warmest (73°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 170 field readings (2012–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Wood Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~32 ft est.
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 Wood Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
82 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,516 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Wood Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Wood Lake in Benson 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Wood Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Wood Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+7.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Benson County
Frequently asked questions about Wood Lake
Where is Wood Lake?
- Wood Lake is a lake in Benson 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 Wood Lake?
- Wood Lake in Benson County, North Dakota has water-quality measurements published by ND DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 5.3 µg/L.
Is Wood 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 Wood Lake?
- Wood Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September, from 170 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Wood Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Wood Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 32 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Wood Lake?
- Public access to Wood Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Wood Lake across LakeQuality
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Devils Lake Region area
Where to stay at North Dakota's top lakes, each with its readings
North Dakota's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Spirit Lake Tribal EPA Programs
SPIRITLK7 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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