Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep
Grant County, New Mexico35 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep in Grant County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.1 µg/L. Surface area: 35 acres.
Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep is a 35-acre lake in Grant County, New Mexico. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2019-10-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep 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 Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep, 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 3.3 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 19.1 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19.1µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
35 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NMED
No bathymetric survey has been published for Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bear Canyon Dam (completed 1937), built primarily for irrigation on the Bear Canyon Creek; earth-type dam, 99 ft tall and 270 ft long.
- Surface area
- 35 ac
- Normal storage
- 685 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,483 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 16 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISH
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00374 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.08 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NM-2504_30 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Grant County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep
Where is Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep?
- Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep is a lake in Grant County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep?
- Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep in Grant County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.1 µg/L. Surface area: 35 acres.
Is Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep?
- Public access to Bear Canyon Reservoir Deep is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by New Mexico's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX4 samples · 2019
Analytical methods
- 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database