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    • Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
      • Lake Levels Rise
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      • West Devils Lake
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West Devils Lake A Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA story

Dams  / 
Water
  1. Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
  2. West Devils Lake
Description

One flood mitigation plan might be to encourage excess water from Devils Lake to flow through its natural overflow point into the Sheyenne River before the level becomes too high. The problem with this idea is of water quality. As a closed basin lake, Devils Lake contains more sulfates than the Sheyenne River. Devils Lake water cannot simply be pumped into the river.

Because the majority of the water enters the west end of the lake, the amount of dissolved solids increases toward the east part of the lake. So even though the natural outflow point is in Stump Lake in the eastern portion of the basin, the state of North Dakota built an outlet on the west side.

This outlet can pump up to 250 cubic feet (7 cubic meters) per second into the river. It was built as an emergency outlet to mitigate the damage that could be caused by a natural spillover of the lake.  However, when the Sheyenne River is high, the amount of water that can be pumped into it is limited.

Landsat imagery is one of many data sources used to help solve the problems caused by the rising levels of Devils Lake. Monitoring the changes caused by the rising waters can help mitigate damage to farmland, roads, and structures.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

Aug. 11, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 11, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 10, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 10, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 23, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 23, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 16, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 16, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 12, 2007, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 12, 2007, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 7, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 7, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 10, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 10, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 18, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Sep. 18, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Aug. 11, 1984, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Aug. 10, 1995, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Aug. 23, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Aug. 16, 2003, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Sep. 12, 2007, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Sep. 7, 2011, Landsat 5 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Sep. 10, 2018, Landsat 8 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA
Sep. 18, 2021, Landsat 8 (path/row 31/27) — West Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA

Devils Lake, North Dakota, USA Additional Imagery & Stories

Lake Levels Rise
Lake Levels Rise

A general trend of above average precipitation in the region has caused Devils Lake to rise rapidly over the last few decades. If the lake reaches 1,4...

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Stump Lake
Stump Lake

East of Devils Lake is Stump Lake. It becomes part of Devils Lake at a water level of about 1,447 feet (441 meters) above mean sea level. By the 2011 ...

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