The 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 Lake Water Quality Assessment Project was a cooperative effort between the North Dakota Game and Fish Department's Fisheries Division (NDGF) and the North Dakota Department of Health Division of Water Quality's Surface Water Quality Management Program (SWQMP). One of the primary goals of the SWQMP is to monitor the quality of the state's surface water resources, including lakes and reservoirs, and to assess and report on the quality of those waters. The purpose of this monitoring and assessment project is to: 1) monitor the chemical, physical and biological character of the state's lakes and reservoirs; 2) use chemical, physical and biological indicators to assess the current water quality condition and trophic status of monitored lakes and reservoirs; 3) determine spatial differences among lakes and reservoirs; and 4) determine temporal trends in lake water quality by comparing project data to Lake Water Quality Assessment data or other historic water quality data. Assessment information generated from this project will be used by both the North Dakota Game and Fish Department and the North Dakota Department of Health's Division of Water Quality to prioritize lakes, reservoirs and their watersheds for lake maintenance and improvement projects (i.e., Save Our Lakes, Total Maximum Daily Loads, Section 319 Non-point Source Management Program). The result of these assessments are not intended to be in-depth evaluation of the individual lake or reservoir but rather a simple and functional assessment that characterizes the major water quality parameters, limiting nutrients, and current trophic status of the lake or reservoir. If sufficient historic data are available for a lake or reservoir, trends (improving, declining, or stable) in water quality are also assessed.