Baker Dam Reservoir
Washington County, UtahView mapDirections
Utah DWQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Baker Dam Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 13 ft max depth
Baker Dam Reservoir in Washington County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 78 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.5 µg/L.
Baker Dam Reservoir is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Washington County, Utah with an estimated average depth of about 13 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Washington County, Baker Dam Reservoir ranks #10 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2025-08-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Baker Dam Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Baker Dam Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Baker Dam Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Utah Division of Water Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Baker Dam Reservoir
These are the measurements Utah DWQ publishes for Baker Dam Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 78 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 29.5 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 78µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 29.5µg/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. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Baker Dam Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~13 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Utah has not published bathymetry for Baker Dam Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
111 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
30 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
0.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
4,879 ft
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
Public campgrounds near Baker Dam Reservoir
- Baker Dam Recreation Area0.5 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 Baker Dam Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Baker Dam Reservoir in Washington County, Utah — 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 Baker Dam Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Baker Dam Reservoir
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Utah’s top lakes →
Follow Baker Dam Reservoir’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Baker Dam Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2015–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+5.65 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Baker Dam Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Baker (completed 1950), built primarily for irrigation on the Santa Clara Creek; earth-type dam, 68 ft tall and 633 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 1,160 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 109 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BAKER RESERVOIR COMPANY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID UT00618 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Baker Dam Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit UT-L-15010008-008_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Washington County
Frequently asked questions about Baker Dam Reservoir
Where is Baker Dam Reservoir?
- Baker Dam Reservoir is a lake in Washington County, Utah. Its water-quality measurements are published by Utah DWQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Baker Dam Reservoir?
- Baker Dam Reservoir in Washington County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 78 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.5 µg/L.
Is Baker Dam Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Baker Dam Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Baker Dam Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Baker Dam Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 13 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there campgrounds on Baker Dam Reservoir?
- Baker Dam Reservoir has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Baker Dam Recreation Area. 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 Baker Dam Reservoir across LakeQuality
4 thermal springs within 17.7 mi, nearest Irvine Spring
22.9 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Utah's top lakes, each with its readings
Utah's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Zion?
Baker Dam Reservoir is about 34 miles from Zion National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Zion →More lakes in Utah
Other Lakes in Utah
Eutrophic Lakes in Utah
Where this data comes from
28 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2015–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Utah Department Of Environmental Quality
UTAHDWQ_WQX28 samples · 2015–2025
Analytical methods
- Field Measurements
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles