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LakeQuality

Lake Farmington Deep

San Juan County, New Mexico198 acresView mapDirections

NR
Not rated

Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
9.8 ft
Secchi · sampled 2018
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Improving
2 years of samples
  • Impaired · Mercury
  • Limited data

Lake Farmington Deep in San Juan County, New Mexico is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Surface area: 198 acres.

Clarity
9.8 ft
Area
198 acres
Chlorophyll-a
2.4 µg/L
Trend
Improving
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Stays near Lake Farmington Deep

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Farmington Deep in San Juan 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.

Top-rated places to stay near Lake Farmington Deep

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Watch Lake Farmington Deep’s letter

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Why Lake Farmington Deep has no grade

We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Lake Farmington Deep, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity and algae (chlorophyll-a), but not phosphorus.

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by NMED and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

Lake Farmington Deep is a 198-acre lake in San Juan County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2018-10-17. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Lake Farmington Deep is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water9.8 ft of visibility

Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Farmington Deep is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Lake Farmington Deep

Water quality measurements for Lake Farmington Deep

These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft. Chlorophyll-a 2.4 µg/L. TSI 42.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)9.8 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)2.4 µg/LNot graded
Trophic State Index (TSI)42Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Surface Area198 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Farmington Deep, so its depth is not documented here.

Fishing Lake Farmington Deep

Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable-0.04 m/yr2
Chlorophyll-a Improving-0.24 µg/L/yr2

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Lake Farmington Deep is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Farmington Lake Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for water supply on the Animas River-Os; earth-type dam, 117 ft tall and 1,075 ft long.

Surface area
198 ac
Normal storage
6,703 ac-ft
Max storage
8,470 ac-ft
Drainage area
3.11 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
CITY OF FARMINGTON

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00302 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.05 km)

EPA Impairment Status

Lake Farmington Deep is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NM-9000.B_006 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.83 km)

Nearby Lakes in San Juan County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Farmington Deep

Where is Lake Farmington Deep?

Lake Farmington Deep is a lake in San Juan County, New Mexico. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).

What is the water quality grade for Lake Farmington Deep?

Lake Farmington Deep in San Juan County, New Mexico is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L. Surface area: 198 acres.

Is Lake Farmington Deep safe to swim in?

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Farmington Deep is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Planning a trip around Mesa Verde?

Lake Farmington Deep is about 37 miles from Mesa Verde National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.

Best time to visit Mesa Verde

Where this data comes from

6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • NM Environmental Dept./SWQB21NMEX_WQX6 samples · 2017–2018

Analytical methods

  • 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database