Lower Bowns Reservoir
Garfield County, UtahView mapDirections
Utah DWQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lower Bowns Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 24 ft max depth
Lower Bowns Reservoir in Garfield County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9 µg/L.
Lower Bowns Reservoir is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Garfield County, Utah with an estimated average depth of about 24 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Garfield County, Lower Bowns Reservoir ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2025-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lower Bowns Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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. Lower Bowns Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lower Bowns Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Utah Division of Water Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lower Bowns Reservoir
These are the measurements Utah DWQ publishes for Lower Bowns Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.2 ft. Phosphorus 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 9 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 34µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lower Bowns Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~24 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Utah has not published bathymetry for Lower Bowns Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
82 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
7,418 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Lower Bowns Reservoir
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 Lower Bowns Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lower Bowns Reservoir in Garfield County, Utah — 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 Lower Bowns Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lower Bowns Reservoir
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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Fishing Lower Bowns Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 10 years of monitoring (2012–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening10 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.09 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.58 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lower Bowns Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bowns (Lower) (completed 1960), built primarily for irrigation on the Pleasant & Oak Creeks; earth-type dam, 56 ft tall and 511 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 3,475 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,372 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- UTAH SANDY RANCH
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID UT00187 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.22 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Lower Bowns Reservoir 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 UT-L-14070003-044_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Garfield County
Frequently asked questions about Lower Bowns Reservoir
Where is Lower Bowns Reservoir?
- Lower Bowns Reservoir is a lake in Garfield County, Utah. Its water-quality measurements are published by Utah DWQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lower Bowns Reservoir?
- Lower Bowns Reservoir in Garfield County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9 µg/L.
Is Lower Bowns Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Bowns Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lower Bowns Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lower Bowns Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 24 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there campgrounds on Lower Bowns Reservoir?
- Lower Bowns Reservoir has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Lower Bowns, Rosebud Atv. 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 Lower Bowns Reservoir across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 21 mi, nearest Upper Calf Creek Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Utah's top lakes, each with its readings
Utah's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Capitol Reef?
Lower Bowns Reservoir is about 12 miles from Capitol Reef 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 Capitol Reef →More lakes in Utah
Other Lakes in Utah
Eutrophic Lakes in Utah
Where this data comes from
150 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Utah Department Of Environmental Quality
UTAHDWQ_WQX150 samples · 2012–2025
Analytical methods
- Field Measurements
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles