Big Meadows Reservoir
Mineral County, Colorado115 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Meadows Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 19 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Meadows Reservoir in Mineral County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L. Surface area: 115 acres.
Big Meadows Reservoir is a 115-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Mineral County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 19 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-07-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Big Meadows Reservoir covers about 120 acres in Mineral County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Big Meadows Reservoir, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Big Meadows Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- 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 Big Meadows 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 Meadows Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Big Meadows Reservoir, 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 7.2 ft. Phosphorus 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.1 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 29.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.1µg/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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Big Meadows Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~19 ft est.
Surface area
115 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Colorado WQCD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Big Meadows Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
9,229 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
- Big Meadows Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Big Meadows Reservoir
- Big Meadows0.6 km
- Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central CO)0.7 kmReserve
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 Meadows Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Meadows Reservoir in Mineral 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Big Meadows Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Big Meadows Reservoir
Prices for Oct 16–18, 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.
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Fishing Big Meadows Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-37.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-17.9 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Big Meadows Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Meadows - North Dike (completed 1968), built primarily for recreation on the S. Fork Rio Grande; earth-type dam, 15 ft tall and 300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 115 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,436 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,356 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO02869 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.18 km)
Nearby Lakes in Mineral County
Frequently asked questions about Big Meadows Reservoir
Where is Big Meadows Reservoir?
- Big Meadows Reservoir is a lake in Mineral 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 Meadows Reservoir?
- Big Meadows Reservoir in Mineral County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L. Surface area: 115 acres.
Is Big Meadows Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Big Meadows Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Meadows Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 19 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 115 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Big Meadows Reservoir?
- Big Meadows Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Meadows Reservoir State Wildlife Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Meadows Reservoir?
- Big Meadows Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Colorado's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Big Meadows Reservoir?
- Big Meadows Reservoir has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Big Meadows, Big Meadows Reservoir Campground (South Central CO). 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 Meadows Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX18 samples · 2022–2023
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles