Big Creek Reservoir
Mesa County, Colorado63 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Big Creek Reservoir in Mesa County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.7 µg/L. Surface area: 63 acres.
Big Creek Reservoir is a 63-acre lake in Mesa County, Colorado.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-07-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Big Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big 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 Big Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Big Creek 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 3.4 ft. Phosphorus 17 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 12.7 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 17µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 12.7µg/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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Big Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
63 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Big Creek Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Big Creek Reservoir
- Big Creek0.4 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 Big Creek Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Creek Reservoir in Mesa County, Colorado — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Big Creek Reservoir
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Fishing Big Creek Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Big Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Creek #1 (completed 1893), built primarily for irrigation on the Big Creek; earth-type dam, 23 ft tall and 514 ft long.
- Surface area
- 63 ac
- Normal storage
- 764 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 22 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 11 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BIG CREEK RESERVOIR COMPANY (YOUNG - PRESIDENT, HA
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00935 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Mesa County
Frequently asked questions about Big Creek Reservoir
Where is Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir is a lake in Mesa County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir in Mesa County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.7 µg/L. Surface area: 63 acres.
Is Big Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Big Creek. 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 Big Creek Reservoir across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
Big Creek Reservoir is about 36 miles from Black Canyon Of The Gunnison 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 Black Canyon Of The Gunnison →More lakes in Colorado
Other Lakes in Colorado
Eutrophic Lakes in Colorado
Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX6 samples · 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 (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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles