Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Millard County, UtahView mapDirections
Utah DWQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Gunnison Bend Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 33 ft max depth
- Limited data
Gunnison Bend Reservoir in Millard County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.2 µg/L.
Gunnison Bend Reservoir is a mesotrophic lake in Millard County, Utah with an estimated average depth of about 33 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Millard County, Gunnison Bend Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2020-08-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Gunnison Bend Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Utah Division of Water Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Gunnison Bend Reservoir
These are the measurements Utah DWQ publishes for Gunnison Bend Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 30.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.2 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.2µg/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. | 57 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~33 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Utah has not published bathymetry for Gunnison Bend Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6,099 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
455 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
4,619 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.
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Fishing Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2020). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Gunnison Bend Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gunnison Bend (completed 1895), built primarily for irrigation on the Sevier River; earth-type dam, 19 ft tall and 1,600 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 5,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,950 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7,300 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- DESERET & ABRAHAM IRRIGATION COMPANY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID UT00131 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Millard County
Frequently asked questions about Gunnison Bend Reservoir
Where is Gunnison Bend Reservoir?
- Gunnison Bend Reservoir is a lake in Millard County, Utah. Its water-quality measurements are published by Utah DWQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Gunnison Bend Reservoir?
- Gunnison Bend Reservoir in Millard County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.2 µg/L.
Is Gunnison Bend Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Gunnison Bend Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Gunnison Bend Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 33 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Gunnison Bend Reservoir across LakeQuality
2 thermal springs within 21 mi, nearest Baker (Abraham, Crater) Hot Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
38 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2014–2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Utah Department Of Environmental Quality
UTAHDWQ_WQX38 samples · 2014–2020
Analytical methods
- Field Measurements
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)