Mescalero Lake Shallow
Otero County, New Mexico104 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Mescalero Lake Shallow. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Mescalero Lake Shallow in Otero County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 104 acres.
Mescalero Lake Shallow is a 104-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Otero County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Otero County, Mescalero Lake Shallow ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2024-12-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mescalero Lake Shallow covers about 100 acres in Otero County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Mescalero Lake Shallow, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Mescalero Lake Shallow 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 Mescalero Lake Shallow
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Mescalero Lake Shallow, 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 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 µg/L. TSI 48.
| 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 | 50µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
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Lake Details
Surface area
104 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Mescalero Lake Shallow, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mescalero Lake Shallow
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Fishing Mescalero Lake Shallow
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2012–2021).
Phosphorus
Stable+0.13 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.13 µg/L/yr9 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Mescalero Lake Shallow is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Mescalero (completed 1974), built primarily for recreation on the Carrizo Creek; earth-type dam, 93 ft tall and 1,335 ft long.
- Surface area
- 104 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,190 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,150 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 19.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BIA
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00161 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.82 km)
Nearby Lakes in Otero County
Frequently asked questions about Mescalero Lake Shallow
Where is Mescalero Lake Shallow?
- Mescalero Lake Shallow is a lake in Otero County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mescalero Lake Shallow?
- Mescalero Lake Shallow in Otero County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 104 acres.
Is Mescalero Lake Shallow safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Mescalero Lake Shallow across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
53 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Mescalero Apache Tribe DRMP (Tribal)
DRMPWQX53 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 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.