Otero County Lake Quality
New Mexico, 7 lakes, measured by NMED
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 recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. For Otero County the spread behind the average matters more than the average itself: a few nutrient-rich lakes among many clear ones produce the same figure 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 has the lowest nutrient and algae readings 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 ranked on readings, 3 without enough sampling4 lakes ranked on readings · 3 without enough sampling, hidden
| # | Lake | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mescalero Lake DeepOtero | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.2 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | Mescalero Lake ShallowOtero | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.6 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | Silver Lake DeepOtero | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 4 | Silver Lake ShallowOtero | No recent samples | 50 µg/L | 1.9 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| Bassett LakeOtero | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| Deadman LakeOtero | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| Richardson LakeOtero | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.
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Source: the New Mexico Environment Department. See data sources.