Blue River Lake
Lane County, Oregon975 acresView mapDirections
Oregon DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Blue River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 98 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Blue River Lake in Lane County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 975 acres.
Blue River Lake is a 975-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Lane County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 98 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Lane County, Blue River Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Oregon DEQ, last sampled 2023-07-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Blue River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Blue River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Blue River Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Blue River Lake
These are the measurements Oregon DEQ publishes for Blue River Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Blue River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Blue River Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~98 ft est.
Surface area
975 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oregon DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oregon has not published bathymetry for Blue River Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
87 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
12.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,283 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
- Saddle DamPublic
- Forest Glen LandingPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Blue River Lake
- Delta3.6 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 Blue River Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Blue River Lake in Lane County, Oregon — 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 Blue River Lake
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Fishing Blue River Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Blue River Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Blue River Dam (completed 1968), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Blue River; earth-type dam, 270 ft tall and 1,250 ft long.
- Surface area
- 975 ac
- Normal storage
- 83,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 89,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 88 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Portland District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Irrigation;Navigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00013 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Blue River Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Fish consumption, Recreation, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OR_LK_1709000404_02_100758 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lane County
Frequently asked questions about Blue River Lake
Where is Blue River Lake?
- Blue River Lake is a lake in Lane County, Oregon. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oregon DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Blue River Lake?
- Blue River Lake in Lane County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 975 acres.
Is Blue River Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Blue River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Blue River Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Blue River Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 98 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 975 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Blue River Lake?
- Blue River Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Saddle Dam, Forest Glen Landing. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Blue River Lake?
- Blue River Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Oregon's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Blue River Lake?
- Blue River Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Delta. 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 River Lake across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 20.2 mi, nearest Koosah Falls
4 thermal springs within 14 mi, nearest Cougar Reservoir Hot Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Oregon's top lakes, each with its readings
Oregon's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Oregon
Oligotrophic Lakes in Oregon
Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Oregon Water Science Center
USGS-OR7 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Nutrients, wu, WCA,persulfate,CF
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles