Lake Van
Chaves County, New MexicoView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Van. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Temperature
- Limited data
Lake Van in Chaves County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.9 µg/L.
Lake Van is a lake in Chaves County, New Mexico.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2022-04-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Van is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Van 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 Lake Van
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Lake Van, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 12.9 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 12.9µg/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. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Lake Van
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Van 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-9000.B_071 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Chaves County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Van
Where is Lake Van?
- Lake Van is a lake in Chaves County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Van?
- Lake Van in Chaves County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.9 µg/L.
Is Lake Van safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Van is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX12 samples · 2013–2022
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