Alto Lake
Lincoln County, New Mexico15 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Alto Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Alto Lake in Lincoln County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 161.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Surface area: 15.4 acres.
Alto Lake is a 15-acre mesotrophic lake in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Lincoln County, Alto Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2024-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Alto Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Alto Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Mexico Environment Department and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Alto Lake
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Alto Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.9 ft. Phosphorus 161.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 162µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Alto Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
15 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Alto Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Alto Lake
- CEDAR CREEK (Sam Tobias)4.0 kmReserve
- Sam Tobias Memorial Campground4.1 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Alto Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Alto Lake in Lincoln County, New Mexico — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Alto Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Alto Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Alto Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2012–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Chlorophyll-a
0 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Alto Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Alto Lake Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for water supply on the Eagle Creek; earth-type dam, 54 ft tall and 362 ft long.
- Surface area
- 15.4 ac
- Normal storage
- 299.7 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 449 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 13 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- VILLAGE OF RUIDOSO
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00180 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Lincoln County
Frequently asked questions about Alto Lake
Where is Alto Lake?
- Alto Lake is a lake in Lincoln County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Alto Lake?
- Alto Lake in Lincoln County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 161.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Surface area: 15.4 acres.
Is Alto Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Alto Lake?
- Alto Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including CEDAR CREEK (Sam Tobias), Sam Tobias Memorial Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Alto Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in New Mexico
Other Lakes in New Mexico
Mesotrophic Lakes in New Mexico
Where this data comes from
26 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX26 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles