Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
Gunnison County, ColoradoView mapDirections
This is the name Colorado WQCD records for this water. It can describe one sampling location rather than the water as a whole.
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek. Here is what has been measured.
- 123 ft max depth
- Limited data
Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek in Gunnison County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.1 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.4 µg/L.
Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek is a lake in Gunnison County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 123 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.1 ft of visibility
- 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft. Chlorophyll-a 8.4 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.1ft | 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) | 8.4µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~123 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3,438 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
7,470 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
58 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
7,510 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
- Stevens Creek Campground1.3 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
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Fishing Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3.76 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-3.06 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Gunnison County
Frequently asked questions about Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek
Where is Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek?
- Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek is in Gunnison County, Colorado. This is the name Colorado WQCD records for this water. It can describe one sampling location rather than the water as a whole. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek?
- Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek in Gunnison County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.1 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.4 µg/L.
Is Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 123 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek?
- Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Stevens Creek 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 Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Curecanti?
Blue Mesa Reservoir W of Steuben Creek is about 14 miles from Curecanti National Recreation Area. 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 Curecanti →More lakes in Colorado
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Colorado Water Science Center
USGS-CO4 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles