Elko County Lake Quality

Nevada, 18 lakes, average grade D (Poor)

Elko County's 18 graded lakes fall in the moderate-density bracket for {{stateName}}. The county-level average smooths over real differences — a single agricultural watershed near the southwest corner can pull the average down even if the rest of the county runs clean. On average, Elko County lakes grade D, with phosphorus loading and reduced clarity showing up across most of the dataset.

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. Nla Lake (A) is the cleanest in the county.

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Quick Answers for Elko County

Cleanest lakes in Elko County →Cleanest lakes in Nevada →Safest swimming lakes in Nevada →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Nla Lake — or check the official Nevada fishing regulations.

All Lakes in Elko County

Rank	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Phosphorus
1	Nla Lake	A	16.1 ft	3.2 µg/L
2	Nla Lake	C	12.4 ft	6008.6 µg/L
3	Nla Lake	C	12.8 ft	112.6 µg/L
4	Nla Lake	C	-	150000 µg/L
5	Sheep Creek Lake	C	6.2 ft	83 µg/L
6	Billy Shaw Lake	C	-	34 µg/L
7	Nla Lake	C	9.4 ft	123061.6 µg/L
8	Wildhorse Res North Arm Lake	C	-	304 µg/L
9	Nla Lake	D	7.2 ft	43000 µg/L
10	Wildhorse Res North Basin Lake	D	9.8 ft	88 µg/L
11	Willow Creek Reservoir West	D	-	455 µg/L
12	Mountain View Lake	D	-	40 µg/L
13	Wildhorse Res South Basin Lake	D	3.3 ft	71 µg/L
14	Sheep Creek Middle Reservoir	F	3 ft	164.5 µg/L
15	Wildhorse Reservoir	F	5.9 ft	107 µg/L
16	Willow Creek Reservoir East	F	-	480 µg/L
17	Wildhorse Res Inlet Lake	F	-	124.5 µg/L