Haviland Lake
La Plata County, Colorado61 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Haviland Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 18 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Haviland Lake in La Plata County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 37 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L. Surface area: 61 acres.
Haviland Lake is a 61-acre mesotrophic lake in La Plata County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 18 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in La Plata County, Haviland Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-08-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Haviland Lake covers about 61 acres in La Plata County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Haviland Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Haviland Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping2 public campgrounds 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 Haviland Lake 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 Haviland Lake
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Haviland Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.8 ft. Phosphorus 37 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.5 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 37µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Haviland Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~18 ft est.
Surface area
61 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 Haviland Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
8,133 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
- Haviland Lake State Wildlife AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Haviland Lake
- Haviland Lake Cg0.3 km
- Chris Park1.4 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 Haviland Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Haviland Lake in La Plata 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Haviland Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Haviland Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Colorado’s top lakes →
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Fishing Haviland Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Haviland Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Haviland Lake (completed 1927), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Elbert Creek-Tr; earth-type dam, 27 ft tall and 580 ft long.
- Surface area
- 61 ac
- Normal storage
- 526 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,025 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE
All listed purposes: Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO01062 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in La Plata County
Frequently asked questions about Haviland Lake
Where is Haviland Lake?
- Haviland Lake is a lake in La Plata County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Haviland Lake?
- Haviland Lake in La Plata County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 37 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.5 µg/L. Surface area: 61 acres.
Is Haviland Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Haviland Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Haviland Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 18 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 61 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Haviland Lake?
- Haviland Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Haviland Lake State Wildlife Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Haviland Lake?
- Haviland Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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.
Are there campgrounds on Haviland Lake?
- Haviland Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Haviland Lake Cg, Chris Park. 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 Haviland Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX12 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles