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LakeQuality

Gunnison Reservoir

Sanpete County, UtahView mapDirections

C
Fair

Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
0.8 ft
Secchi · sampled 2020
Max depth
~75 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Eutrophic
  • #10 of 11 in the county
  • 75 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Gunnison Reservoir in Sanpete County, Utah has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.2 µg/L.

Clarity
0.8 ft
Max depth
~75 ft est.
Type
Eutrophic
Phosphorus
113.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
8.2 µg/L
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Gunnison Reservoir is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Sanpete County, Utah with an estimated average depth of about 75 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 1 sampling years through 2020. Compared to the 10 other monitored lakes in Sanpete County, Gunnison Reservoir ranks #10 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2020-08-04. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited 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 C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Gunnison Reservoir

Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)

Very murky, less than 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 113.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.2 µg/L. TSI 68. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)0.8 ftNot graded
Phosphorus113.5 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)8.2 µg/LFair
Trophic State Index (TSI)68Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~75 ft est.
Average Depth~19 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 Reservoir.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
734 sq mi
Surface area
1,287 acres
Shoreline
9.3 mi
Elevation
5,394 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.

Fishing Gunnison Reservoir

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Gunnison Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gunnison (completed 1889), built primarily for irrigation on the San Pitch River; earth-type dam, 42 ft tall and 1,240 ft long.

Normal storage
12,800 ac-ft
Max storage
33,000 ac-ft
Drainage area
670 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
GUNNISON IRRIGATION COMPANY

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID UT00130 · Operator website

County Ranking

Ranked #10 of 11 lakes in Sanpete County

Nearby Lakes in Sanpete County

Frequently asked questions about Gunnison Reservoir

Where is Gunnison Reservoir?

Gunnison Reservoir is a lake in Sanpete County, Utah. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Gunnison Reservoir?

Gunnison Reservoir in Sanpete County, Utah has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.2 µg/L.

Is Gunnison Reservoir safe to swim in?

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Gunnison Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Gunnison Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 75 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Where this data comes from

10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Utah Department Of Environmental QualityUTAHDWQ_WQX10 samples · 2020

Analytical methods

  • Field Measurements
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)