Cabresto Lake Deep
Taos County, New Mexico29 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Cabresto Lake Deep. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- Limited data
Cabresto Lake Deep in Taos County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.6 µg/L. Surface area: 28.9 acres.
Cabresto Lake Deep is a 29-acre lake in Taos County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2018-07-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cabresto Lake Deep is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.1 ft of visibility
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cabresto Lake Deep is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cabresto Lake Deep 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 Cabresto Lake Deep
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Cabresto Lake Deep, 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 13.1 ft. Chlorophyll-a 8.6 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.1ft | 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) | 8.6µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Cabresto Lake Deep
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
29 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Cabresto Lake Deep, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Cabresto Lake Deep
- Cabresto Lake<0.1 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
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Stays near Cabresto Lake Deep
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Fishing Cabresto Lake Deep
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2017–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cabresto Lake Deep is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cabresto Dam (completed 2012), built primarily for irrigation on the Lake Fork Creek; earth-type dam, 78 ft tall and 218 ft long.
- Surface area
- 28.9 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,118 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,442 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CABRESTO LAKE IRRIG.CO;LLANO COMMUNITY DITCH
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00240 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.14 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Cabresto Lake Deep 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-2120.B_20 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Taos County
Frequently asked questions about Cabresto Lake Deep
Where is Cabresto Lake Deep?
- Cabresto Lake Deep is a lake in Taos County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cabresto Lake Deep?
- Cabresto Lake Deep in Taos County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.6 µg/L. Surface area: 28.9 acres.
Is Cabresto Lake Deep safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cabresto Lake Deep is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Cabresto Lake Deep?
- Cabresto Lake Deep has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Cabresto Lake. 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.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX8 samples · 2017–2018
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles