Otero County Lake Quality
New Mexico, 7 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Otero County has 7 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 4 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Otero County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average as the inverse.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Mescalero Lake Deep (C) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Otero County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Mescalero Lake Deep — or check the official New Mexico fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Otero County
7 lakes · 4 graded, 3 not rated4 graded lakes · 3 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CMescalero Lake DeepOtero | C | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.2 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | CMescalero Lake ShallowOtero | C | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.6 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | CSilver Lake DeepOtero | C | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 4 | DSilver Lake ShallowOtero | D | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.9 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| NRBassett LakeOtero | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRDeadman LakeOtero | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRRichardson LakeOtero | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in New Mexico
See how Otero County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.