Little Eldorado Lake
San Juan County, ColoradoView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Eldorado Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Limited data
Little Eldorado Lake in San Juan County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L.
Little Eldorado Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in San Juan County, Colorado.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2020-09-21. 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Eldorado 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 Little Eldorado Lake
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Little Eldorado Lake, 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 4 µg/L. TSI 24.
| 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 | 4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 24 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
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Nearby Lakes in San Juan County
Frequently asked questions about Little Eldorado Lake
Where is Little Eldorado Lake?
- Little Eldorado Lake is a lake in San Juan County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Eldorado Lake?
- Little Eldorado Lake in San Juan County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L.
Is Little Eldorado Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Little Eldorado Lake across LakeQuality
3 documented falls within 23.6 mi, nearest Bridal Veil Falls
22.3 mi away · recorded at 156°F
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Colorado's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Colorado Water Science Center
USGS-CO3 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
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.