Hopewell Lake
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico13 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Hopewell Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Hopewell Lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 76 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 52.9 µg/L. Surface area: 13 acres.
Hopewell Lake is a 13-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Rio Arriba County, Hopewell Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2024-10-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hopewell Lake covers about 13 acres in Rio Arriba County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Hopewell Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Hopewell Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- 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. Hopewell Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hopewell Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Mexico Environment Department and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Hopewell Lake
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Hopewell Lake, 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 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 76 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 52.9 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 76µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 52.9µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Hopewell Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
13 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Hopewell Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Hopewell Lake
- Hopewell Lake Campground0.2 kmReserve
- Hopewell Cg0.6 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 Hopewell Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hopewell Lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico — 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 Hopewell Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Hopewell Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Hopewell Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2012–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.01 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hopewell Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hopewell Lake Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for recreation on the Placer Creek; earth-type dam, 27 ft tall and 340 ft long.
- Surface area
- 13 ac
- Normal storage
- 80 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 170 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISH
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00155 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hopewell Lake 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NM-2112.B_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Rio Arriba County
Frequently asked questions about Hopewell Lake
Where is Hopewell Lake?
- Hopewell Lake is a lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hopewell Lake?
- Hopewell Lake in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 76 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 52.9 µg/L. Surface area: 13 acres.
Is Hopewell Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hopewell Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Hopewell Lake?
- Hopewell Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Hopewell Lake Campground, Hopewell Cg. 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 Hopewell Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX20 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles