Galesville Reservoir
Douglas County, Oregon640 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #1 of 3 in the county
- 88 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Galesville Reservoir in Douglas County, Oregon has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 640 acres.
- Max depth
- ~88 ft est.
- Area
- 640 acres
- Type
- Oligotrophic
- Chlorophyll-a
- 1.6 µg/L
- Trend
- → Stable
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Galesville Reservoir’s letter
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Galesville Reservoir is a 640-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Douglas County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 88 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Douglas County, Galesville Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Oregon DEQ, last sampled 2025-09-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Galesville Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Galesville Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 µg/L. TSI 35. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.6 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 35 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 PM from gauge 14308995 (GALESVILLE RESERVOIR NEAR AZALEA, OR). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Galesville Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~88 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 640 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oregon has not published bathymetry for Galesville Reservoir.
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.
Recreation & Access
- Chief Milwaleta Day Use ParkPublic
- Chief Miwaleta ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Galesville Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorophyll-a | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Galesville Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Galesville (completed 1985), built primarily for irrigation on the Cow Creek, Umpqua River; gravity-type dam, 167 ft tall and 950 ft long.
- Surface area
- 640 ac
- Normal storage
- 41,890 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 117,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 73.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Douglas County, Oregon
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Hydroelectric;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00748 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Galesville Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OR_LK_1710030206_02_100195 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 3 lakes in Douglas County
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Galesville Reservoir
Where is Galesville Reservoir?
- Galesville Reservoir is a lake in Douglas County, Oregon. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Galesville Reservoir?
- Galesville Reservoir in Douglas County, Oregon has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 640 acres.
Is Galesville Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Galesville Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Galesville Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Galesville Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 88 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 640 acres.
What is the water level at Galesville Reservoir?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Galesville Reservoir is 1824.98 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 PM at gauge 14308995. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Galesville Reservoir?
- Galesville Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chief Milwaleta Day Use Park, Chief Miwaleta Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Galesville Reservoir across LakeQuality
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Oregon's top lakes, each with its grade
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
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Other Grade A Lakes in Oregon
Oligotrophic Lakes in Oregon
Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Department of Environmental Quality - State of Oregon
OREGONDEQ8 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory