Crescent Lake
Apache County, Arizona104 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- 17 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Crescent Lake in Apache County, Arizona is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 104 acres.
- Max depth
- ~17 ft est.
- Area
- 104 acres
- Trend
- → Stable
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Crescent Lake’s letter
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Why Crescent Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Crescent Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by ADEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Crescent Lake is a 104-acre lake in Apache County, Arizona with an estimated average depth of about 17 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2026-03-22. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Crescent Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Crescent Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
No clarity data.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~17 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~13 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 104 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arizona has not published bathymetry for Crescent Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Crescent Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +170 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -117.4 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Crescent Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Crescent Lake (completed 1934), built primarily for recreation on the Black River - Tr; earth-type dam, 22 ft tall and 100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 104 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- ARIZONA GAME & FISH DEPARTMENT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AZ00127 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Crescent Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit AZL15060101-0420_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Apache County
Frequently asked questions about Crescent Lake
Where is Crescent Lake?
- Crescent Lake is a lake in Apache County, Arizona. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Crescent Lake?
- Crescent Lake in Apache County, Arizona is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 104 acres.
Is Crescent Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Crescent Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Crescent Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Crescent Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 17 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 104 acres.
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Great Lakes Environmental Center
GLEC3 samples · 2026
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)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)