Canjilon Lake
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico3 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Canjilon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Canjilon Lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.8 µg/L. Surface area: 3 acres.
Canjilon Lake is a 3-acre lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2014-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Canjilon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Canjilon 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 Canjilon Lake
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Canjilon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. Chlorophyll-a 5.8 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.2ft | 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) | 5.8µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Canjilon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
3 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Canjilon Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Canjilon Lake
- Middle Canjilon Lakes Cg0.9 km
- Lower Canjilon Lakes Cg1.9 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 Canjilon Lake
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Fishing Canjilon Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Canjilon Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Upper of Lower Canjilon Lake Dam (completed 1948), built primarily for recreation on the Tr Canjilon Creek; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 385 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3 ac
- Normal storage
- 14 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 20 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- USDA FS
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00725 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.76 km)
Nearby Lakes in Rio Arriba County
Frequently asked questions about Canjilon Lake
Where is Canjilon Lake?
- Canjilon Lake is a lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Canjilon Lake?
- Canjilon Lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.8 µg/L. Surface area: 3 acres.
Is Canjilon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Canjilon Lake?
- Canjilon Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Middle Canjilon Lakes Cg, Lower Canjilon Lakes Cg. 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 Canjilon Lake across LakeQuality
2 thermal springs within 23.5 mi, nearest Statue Spring
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2014. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX4 samples · 2012–2014
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles