Malheur County Lake Quality

There are 39 monitored lakes in Malheur County. The mix is varied enough that the county-level average tells you the broad strokes, not the choose-this-cabin specifics. 2 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Phosphorus and algae readings vary widely across Malheur County; the per-lake pages below carry the numbers.

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. Bully Creek Lake has the lowest nutrient and algae readings in the county.