Adobe Creek Reservoir
Bent County, Colorado5,094 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Adobe Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 97 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ask about Adobe Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Adobe Creek Reservoir in Bent County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 63.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21.7 µg/L. Surface area: 5094 acres.
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Adobe Creek Reservoir is a 5,094-acre lake in Bent County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 97 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-08-08. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Adobe Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Big water5,094 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Adobe Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Adobe Creek Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Adobe Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Adobe Creek Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 63.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 21.7 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.7 ft | Measured, not scored |
| Phosphorus | 63.5 µg/L | Measured, not scored |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 21.7 µg/L | Measured, not scored |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 65 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~97 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~18 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 5,094 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Adobe Creek Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
- Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
- Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
- Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Adobe Creek Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Adobe Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Adobe Creek (completed 1904), built primarily for irrigation on the Adobe Creek-Os; earth-type dam, 41 ft tall and 7,375 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,094 ac
- Normal storage
- 81,592 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 122,360 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 53 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- FORT LYON CANAL CO.
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00515 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Adobe Creek Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COARLA10_B · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Bent County
Frequently asked questions about Adobe Creek Reservoir
Where is Adobe Creek Reservoir?
- Adobe Creek Reservoir is a lake in Bent County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Adobe Creek Reservoir?
- Adobe Creek Reservoir in Bent County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 63.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21.7 µg/L. Surface area: 5094 acres.
Is Adobe Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Adobe Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Adobe Creek Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Adobe Creek Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 97 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 5094 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Adobe Creek Reservoir?
- Adobe Creek Reservoir has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Adobe Creek Reservoir State Wildlife Area. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX9 samples · 2021–2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory