Elkhead Reservoir
Moffat County, Colorado724 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Elkhead Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Elkhead Reservoir in Moffat County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Surface area: 724 acres.
Elkhead Reservoir is a 724-acre mesotrophic lake in Moffat County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 34 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2025-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Elkhead Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
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. Elkhead Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Elkhead 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 Elkhead Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Elkhead Reservoir, 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 3.3 µg/L. TSI 48.
| 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) | 3.3µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Elkhead Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~34 ft est.
Surface area
724 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Colorado WQCD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Elkhead Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
208 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
6,375 ft
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.
Recreation & Access
- Elkhead Reservoir State ParkPublic
- Elkhead Reservoir State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing Elkhead Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Elkhead Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Elkhead Creek (completed 1979), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Elkhead Creek; earth-type dam, 118 ft tall and 1,300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 724 ac
- Normal storage
- 24,778 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 37,190 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 212 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COLORADO RIVER WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT (CAUSEY
All listed purposes: Fish and Wildlife Pond;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00976 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.22 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Elkhead Reservoir 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 COUCYA23_A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Moffat County
Frequently asked questions about Elkhead Reservoir
Where is Elkhead Reservoir?
- Elkhead Reservoir is a lake in Moffat County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elkhead Reservoir?
- Elkhead Reservoir in Moffat County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L. Surface area: 724 acres.
Is Elkhead Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elkhead Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Elkhead Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Elkhead Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 34 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 724 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Elkhead Reservoir?
- Elkhead Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Elkhead Reservoir State Park, Elkhead Reservoir State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Elkhead Reservoir?
- Elkhead Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Colorado's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX6 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory