Lake Combie
Nevada County, California360 acresView mapDirections
SWRCB publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Combie. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Lake Combie in Nevada County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.8 µg/L. Surface area: 360 acres.
Lake Combie is a 360-acre lake in Nevada County, California.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-01-14. 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. Lake Combie is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Combie is safe to swim in today is a call for the California State Water Resources Control Board and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Combie
These are the measurements SWRCB publishes for Lake Combie, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 0.8 µg/L.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 0.8µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
Ask about Lake Combie
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
360 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Combie, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Lake Combie
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Fishing Lake Combie
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Combie is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Combie (completed 1928), built primarily for irrigation on the Bear River; concrete-type dam, 100 ft tall and 762 ft long.
- Surface area
- 360 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,555 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 135.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Nevada Irrigation District
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CA00249 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Combie 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: Fish consumption, Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit CAL5163301120020111100904 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Nevada County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Combie
Where is Lake Combie?
- Lake Combie is a lake in Nevada County, California. Its water-quality measurements are published by SWRCB and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Combie?
- Lake Combie in Nevada County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.8 µg/L. Surface area: 360 acres.
Is Lake Combie safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Combie is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- USGS California Water Science Center
USGS-CA9 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU
- YSI Environmental, sensor 6136
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
- USGS-390148121014701
- CEDEN-516L17012
- CEDEN-Combie_001
- CEDEN-Combie_005
- CEDEN-Combie_007
- CEDEN-Combie_008
- CEDEN-Combie_010
- NARS_WQX-NLA_CA-10046
- USGS-390036121031601
- USGS-390036121032501
- USGS-390036121032901
- USGS-390040121030601
- USGS-390045121030001
- USGS-390048121023901
- USGS-390048121024901
- USGS-390050121023401
- USGS-390051121022801
- USGS-390056121021801
- USGS-390101121021401
- USGS-390104121020701
- USGS-390106121021201
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