What is the cleanest lake in Nevada?

Wildhorse Reservoir in Elko County is the highest-rated lake in Nevada with an EPA water quality grade of F and 5.9 feet of water clarity.

How are these rankings calculated?

Lakes are graded A through F on nutrients and algae — total phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — against EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition classes for that lake’s ecoregion. Water clarity (Secchi depth) is measured and shown; it is not the letter. Lakes without enough recent samples are UNRATED, not given an F. Source data comes from the EPA Water Quality Portal.

Lakes With Algae Problems in Nevada

5 lakes in Nevada report elevated algae levels (chlorophyll-a above 20 µg/L). These lakes are most likely to develop blue-green algae blooms during warm, calm summer weather. Avoid swimming during visible blooms and rinse pets after contact.

Ranked List

#	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae
1	Wildhorse Reservoir	Elko	F	5.9 ft	107 µg/L	67.2 µg/L
2	Sheep Creek Middle Reservoir	Elko	NR	3 ft	164.5 µg/L	63.7 µg/L
3	Knott Creek Reservoir	Humboldt	F	-	145 µg/L	59 µg/L
4	Spooner Lake	Douglas	C	-	40 µg/L	40.6 µg/L
5	Willow Creek Reservoir East	Elko	NR	-	480 µg/L	27 µg/L

Ranked List

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