Crystal Reservoir
Montrose County, Colorado301 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Crystal Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Crystal Reservoir in Montrose County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 301 acres.
Crystal Reservoir is a 301-acre mesotrophic lake in Montrose County, Colorado. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-08-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Crystal Reservoir covers about 300 acres in Montrose County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Crystal Reservoir, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Crystal Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.4 ft of visibility
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Crystal Reservoir 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 Crystal Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Crystal Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 15.4 ft down. Phosphorus 15.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Crystal Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
301 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Crystal Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Crystal Reservoir
- East Portal Campground4.9 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 Crystal Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crystal Reservoir in Montrose County, Colorado — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Crystal Reservoir
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Fishing Crystal Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+4.4 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Crystal Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Crystal Dam (completed 1977), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Gunnison River; concrete-type dam, 323 ft tall and 620 ft long.
- Surface area
- 301 ac
- Normal storage
- 25,236 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 30,726 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3,965.01 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00387 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Montrose County
Frequently asked questions about Crystal Reservoir
Where is Crystal Reservoir?
- Crystal Reservoir is a lake in Montrose County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crystal Reservoir?
- Crystal Reservoir in Montrose County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 301 acres.
Is Crystal Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Crystal Reservoir?
- Crystal Reservoir has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including East Portal 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.
Explore Crystal Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- National Park Service Water Resources Division
11NPSWRD_WQX18 samples · 2021–2023
Analytical methods
- U.S. Geological Survey National Field Manual 7.4.1B Collecting Ancillary Data
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
- Hach 2100N Turbidimeter
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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