Cleanest Lakes in New Mexico
Nla Lake in San Juan County leads the rankings with a water quality grade of A and 14.4 ft of clarity. Below are the top 36 cleanest monitored lakes in New Mexico, ranked by EPA water quality score.
Ranked List
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nla Lake | San Juan | A | 14.4 ft | 13.9 µg/L | 0.3 µg/L |
| 2 | Nla Lake | San Miguel | A | 2.3 ft | 21.7 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L |
| 3 | Nla Lake | San Miguel | A | 8.2 ft | 17.7 µg/L | 2.6 µg/L |
| 4 | Nla Lake | Colfax | A | 10.5 ft | 24.8 µg/L | 2.4 µg/L |
| 5 | Nla Lake | Colfax | A | 8.2 ft | 23.7 µg/L | 1.9 µg/L |
| 6 | Fenton Lake | Sandoval | A | 7.9 ft | 14 µg/L | 5.4 µg/L |
| 7 | Figure Eight Lake | Chaves | A | 6.9 ft | 17 µg/L | 3 µg/L |
| 8 | Heron Lake Deep Dam | Rio Arriba | B | 3.7 ft | 29 µg/L | 1.6 µg/L |
| 9 | Abiquiu Reservoir | Rio Arriba | B | 3.3 ft | 40 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L |
| 10 | Abiquiu Reservoir Chama R Inlet | Rio Arriba | B | 3.3 ft | 36 µg/L | 2.4 µg/L |
| 11 | Grindstone Canyon Reservoir Deep | Lincoln | B | 9 ft | 38 µg/L | 2 µg/L |
| 12 | Heron Lake Shallow | Rio Arriba | B | 2.5 ft | 32 µg/L | 2.1 µg/L |
| 13 | Mescalero Lake Deep | Otero | B | - | 50 µg/L | 1.2 µg/L |
| 14 | Mescalero Lake Shallow | Otero | B | - | 55 µg/L | 1.6 µg/L |
| 15 | Silver Lake Shallow | Otero | B | - | 50 µg/L | 1.9 µg/L |
| 16 | Nla Lake | Rio Arriba | B | 3.9 ft | 43.8 µg/L | 5.4 µg/L |
| 17 | Nla Lake | Mora | B | 1 ft | 34 µg/L | 6.5 µg/L |
| 18 | Brantley Reservoir Shallow | Eddy | B | 2.1 ft | 40 µg/L | 4.7 µg/L |
| 19 | Silver Lake Deep | Otero | B | - | 80 µg/L | 1.3 µg/L |
| 20 | Nla Lake | Quay | C | 3.9 ft | 24000 µg/L | 1.7 µg/L |
| 21 | Nla Lake | San Juan | C | 10.5 ft | 17000 µg/L | 1.2 µg/L |
| 22 | Nla Lake | McKinley | C | 5.7 ft | 76084.2 µg/L | 2.8 µg/L |
| 23 | Nla Lake | Rio Arriba | C | 19 ft | 56000 µg/L | 1.8 µg/L |
| 24 | Nla Lake | Taos | C | 8.2 ft | 8007.4 µg/L | 1.7 µg/L |
| 25 | Nla Lake | Rio Arriba | C | 3.3 ft | 36.9 µg/L | 8.7 µg/L |
| 26 | Nla Lake | Grant | C | 9.8 ft | 91.2 µg/L | 3.5 µg/L |
| 27 | Nla Lake | Mora | C | 2.7 ft | 137.6 µg/L | 4.4 µg/L |
| 28 | Nla Lake | Santa Fe | C | 8.5 ft | 30000 µg/L | 4.5 µg/L |
| 29 | Alto Lake | Lincoln | C | 8.9 ft | 161.5 µg/L | 4 µg/L |
| 30 | Nla Lake | Colfax | D | 4.5 ft | 28000 µg/L | 10.8 µg/L |
| 31 | Jal Lake | Lea | D | 3.9 ft | 35 µg/L | 62.3 µg/L |
| 32 | Nla Lake | San Juan | D | 0.8 ft | 159000 µg/L | 26 µg/L |
| 33 | Nla Lake | Colfax | D | 0.3 ft | 231000 µg/L | 28.2 µg/L |
| 34 | Hopewell Lake | Rio Arriba | D | 3.9 ft | 76 µg/L | 52.9 µg/L |
| 35 | Quemado Dam Lake | Catron | D | 8 ft | 114 µg/L | 23.1 µg/L |
| 36 | Bluewater Lake | Cibola | F | 2 ft | 108 µg/L | 112.3 µg/L |