Caballo Lake
Sierra County, New Mexico14,530 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Caballo Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Caballo Lake in Sierra County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 37.4 µg/L. Surface area: 14530 acres.
Caballo Lake is a 14,530-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sierra County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Sierra County, Caballo Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2020-08-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Caballo Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water14,530 acres
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. Caballo Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Caballo Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Mexico Environment Department and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Caballo Lake
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Caballo Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 37.4 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.8ft | 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) | 37.4µg/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. | 67 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Caballo Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
14,530 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NMED
No bathymetric survey has been published for Caballo Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Caballo Lake State ParkPublic
- Caballo Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Caballo Lake
- Riverside Campground1.1 km
- Caballo Lake RV Park2.8 km
- Cosgrove's RV Park3.9 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 Caballo Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Caballo Lake in Sierra County, New Mexico — 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 Caballo Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Caballo Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Caballo Lake → · more New Mexico lake trips
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Fishing Caballo Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2020). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Chlorophyll-a
0 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Caballo Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Caballo Dam (completed 1938), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Rio Grande River; rockfill-type dam, 110 ft tall and 4,558 ft long.
- Surface area
- 14,530 ac
- Normal storage
- 231,510 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 379,210 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 27,832.83 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00131 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Caballo Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NM-2102.B_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sierra County
Frequently asked questions about Caballo Lake
Where is Caballo Lake?
- Caballo Lake is a lake in Sierra County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Caballo Lake?
- Caballo Lake in Sierra County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 37.4 µg/L. Surface area: 14530 acres.
Is Caballo Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Caballo Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Caballo Lake?
- Caballo Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Caballo Lake State Park, Caballo Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Caballo Lake?
- Caballo 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 New Mexico's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Caballo Lake?
- Caballo Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Riverside Campground, Caballo Lake RV Park, Cosgrove's RV Park. 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 Caballo Lake across LakeQuality
3 thermal springs within 21.3 mi, nearest Derry Warm Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
17 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX17 samples · 2014–2020
Analytical methods
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles