What are mesotrophic lakes in North Dakota?

19 mesotrophic lakes in North Dakota. Moderate nutrients, good water quality.

What does mesotrophic mean?

Moderate nutrients, good water quality.

Mesotrophic Lakes in North Dakota

Most well-managed working lakes register as mesotrophic — the band that balances productivity with clarity. 19 lakes in North Dakota sit in the mesotrophic band. About 0% are deep (50+ ft); the rest are shallower basins where watershed management keeps nutrients from pushing the system into eutrophy.

Mesotrophic lakes sit in the middle of the phosphorus and chlorophyll-a range: productive but still clear, with readings that rarely reach the EPA's poorest condition class.

#	Lake	County	Clarity	Depth	TSI
1	Lake Darling	Renville	4.9 ft	-	59
2	Wheaton Lake	Rolette	8.5 ft	-	48
3	Jarvis Lake Center	Rolette	7.7 ft	-	48
4	North Lemmon Lake	Adams	5.7 ft	-	49
5	Kota Ray Dam Lake	Williams	7.7 ft	-	46
6	Fort Totten Bay Lake	Benson	-	-	46
7	Lake Darling	Renville	9.8 ft	-	61
8	Lake Ashtabula	Barnes	3.4 ft	-	63
9	Lake Ashtabula	Barnes	6.6 ft	-	60
10	Spiritwood Lake	Stutsman	31 ft	-	49
11	Fordville Dam Lake	Grand Forks	4.4 ft	-	64
12	Davis Dam Lake	Slope	7.5 ft	-	48
13	Arroda Lake	Oliver	6.7 ft	-	48
14	Harvey Dam Lake	Wells	5.4 ft	-	59
15	Lake Williams	Kidder	4.7 ft	-	46
16	Homme Dam Lake	Walsh	5.7 ft	-	60
17	Skjermo Lake	Divide	7.7 ft	-	45
18	Renwick Dam Lake	Pembina	3 ft	-	63
19	Arnegard Dam Lake	McKenzie	-	-	61

All mesotrophic lakes →Minnesota version →Wisconsin version →Illinois version →Michigan version →Iowa version →Ohio version →Pennsylvania version →New York version →Missouri version →Indiana version →South Dakota version →Florida version →Colorado version →North Carolina version →Vermont version →Texas version →Oregon version →Arkansas version →Oklahoma version →Kansas version →Nebraska version →Nevada version →Arizona version →Idaho version →Montana version →New Mexico version →Tennessee version →Alabama version →Virginia version →Kentucky version →Utah version →Washington version →Wyoming version →Georgia version →Massachusetts version →Ontario version →Québec version →Nova Scotia version →British Columbia version →Newfoundland and Labrador version →All North Dakota lakes →

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.