Yellow Bear Reservoir
Bennett County, South DakotaView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from SD DANR for this lake.
- Limited data
Ask about Yellow Bear Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Yellow Bear Reservoir in Bennett County, South Dakota has water-quality measurements published by SD DANR, shown here as reported.
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Yellow Bear Reservoir is a lake in Bennett County, South Dakota.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, SD DANR, last sampled 2024-10-09. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming conditions
No readingBacteria tested: low
Based on E. coli testing, Yellow Bear Reservoir rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 3% of 33 samples across 6 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check South Dakota’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Yellow Bear Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Yellow Bear Reservoir
These are the measurements SD DANR publishes for Yellow Bear Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Fishing Yellow Bear Reservoir
Nearby Lakes in Bennett County
Frequently asked questions about Yellow Bear Reservoir
Where is Yellow Bear Reservoir?
- Yellow Bear Reservoir is a lake in Bennett County, South Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by SD DANR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Yellow Bear Reservoir?
- Yellow Bear Reservoir in Bennett County, South Dakota has water-quality measurements published by SD DANR, shown here as reported.
Is Yellow Bear Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Yellow Bear Reservoir rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 3% of 33 samples across 6 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Yellow Bear Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for South Dakota's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
Explore Yellow Bear Reservoir across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Badlands?
Yellow Bear Reservoir is about 33 miles from Badlands National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Badlands →More lakes in South Dakota
Other Lakes in South Dakota
Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota) (Tribal)
OGLALAST18 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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.