Bluewater Lake
Cibola County, New Mexico1,730 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 22 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bluewater Lake in Cibola County, New Mexico is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 1730 acres.
- Max depth
- ~22 ft est.
- Area
- 1,730 acres
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Bluewater Lake’s letter
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Why Bluewater Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Bluewater Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by NMED and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Bluewater Lake is a 1,730-acre lake in Cibola County, New Mexico with an estimated average depth of about 22 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2022-05-17. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Bluewater Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,730 acres
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Bluewater Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Bluewater Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
No clarity data.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:15 PM from gauge 08341400 (BLUEWATER LAKE NEAR BLUEWATER, NM). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Bluewater Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~22 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,730 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. New Mexico has not published bathymetry for Bluewater Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Bluewater Lake State ParkPublic
- Bluewater Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Bluewater Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bluewater Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bluewater Dam (completed 1927), built primarily for irrigation on the Bluewater Creek; arch-type dam, 99 ft tall and 655 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,730 ac
- Normal storage
- 38,510 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 44,150 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 207 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BLUEWATER-TOLTEC IRRIGATION DISTRICT
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00239 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Bluewater Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NM-2107.B_00 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Bluewater Lake
Bluewater Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Cibola County
Frequently asked questions about Bluewater Lake
Where is Bluewater Lake?
- Bluewater Lake is a lake in Cibola County, New Mexico. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Bluewater Lake?
- Bluewater Lake in Cibola County, New Mexico is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 1730 acres.
Is Bluewater Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Bluewater Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bluewater Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bluewater Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 22 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 1730 acres.
What is the water level at Bluewater Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Bluewater Lake is 7364.36 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:15 PM at gauge 08341400. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Bluewater Lake?
- Bluewater Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bluewater Lake State Park, Bluewater Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Bluewater Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX7 samples · 2014–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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