Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
Arapahoe County, Colorado852 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom in Arapahoe County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 76 µg/L. Surface area: 852 acres.
Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is a 852-acre lake in Arapahoe County, Colorado.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2020-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is safe to swim in today is a call for the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 76 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 76µg/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. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
852 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
- Cherry Creek State Park Campground1.5 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 Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
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Fishing Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cherry Creek Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Cherry Creek; earth-type dam, 189 ft tall and 14,300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 852 ac
- Normal storage
- 13,960 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 134,470 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 385 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Omaha District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO01280 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.24 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COSPCH02_A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Arapahoe County
Frequently asked questions about Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom
Where is Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom?
- Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is a lake in Arapahoe County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom?
- Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom in Arapahoe County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 76 µg/L. Surface area: 852 acres.
Is Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom?
- Cherry Creek Reservoir Bottom has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Cherry Creek State Park Campground. 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
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX2 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
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