Cataract Lake
Coconino County, Arizona46 acresView mapDirections
ADEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Cataract Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Cataract Lake in Coconino County, Arizona has water-quality measurements published by ADEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 260 µg/L. Surface area: 46 acres.
Cataract Lake is a 46-acre lake in Coconino County, Arizona. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2025-10-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cataract Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cataract Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Cataract Lake
These are the measurements ADEQ publishes for Cataract 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 4.6 ft. Phosphorus 260 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 260µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| 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. | 70 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Cataract Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
46 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by ADEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Cataract Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Cataract LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing Cataract Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2012–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cataract Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the West Cataract Creek (completed 1947), built primarily for recreation on the West Cataract Creek; earth-type dam, 36 ft tall and 580 ft long.
- Surface area
- 46 ac
- Normal storage
- 415 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 860 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- CITY OF WILLIAMS
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AZ00038 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.23 km)
Nearby Lakes in Coconino County
Frequently asked questions about Cataract Lake
Where is Cataract Lake?
- Cataract Lake is a lake in Coconino County, Arizona. Its water-quality measurements are published by ADEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cataract Lake?
- Cataract Lake in Coconino County, Arizona has water-quality measurements published by ADEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 260 µg/L. Surface area: 46 acres.
Is Cataract Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Cataract Lake?
- Cataract Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cataract Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Cataract Lake?
- Cataract Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Arizona's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Great Lakes Environmental Center
GLEC13 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 300.0 ~ EPA; Determination of Inorganic Anions by Ion Chromatography
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory