Mud Lake
Bear Lake County, IdahoView mapDirections
Idaho DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Mud Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Mud Lake in Bear Lake County, Idaho has water-quality measurements published by Idaho DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 46 µg/L.
Mud Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Bear Lake County, Idaho. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Bear Lake County, Mud Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, IDEQ, last sampled 2023-11-14. 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 Mud Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Mud Lake
These are the measurements Idaho DEQ publishes for Mud 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 46 µg/L. TSI 59.
| 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 | 46µg/L | Fair 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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Mud Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Mud Lake
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Fishing Mud Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2019–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-1.37 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Bear Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Mud Lake
Where is Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake is a lake in Bear Lake County, Idaho. Its water-quality measurements are published by Idaho DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mud Lake?
- Mud Lake in Bear Lake County, Idaho has water-quality measurements published by Idaho DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 46 µg/L.
Is Mud Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Mud Lake across LakeQuality
3 thermal springs within 24.6 mi, nearest Bear Lake Hot Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Idaho's top lakes, each with its readings
Idaho's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Idaho
Other Lakes in Idaho
Eutrophic Lakes in Idaho
Where this data comes from
100 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Utah Water Science Center
USGS-UT100 samples · 2019–2023
Analytical methods
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- YSI Environmental, sensor 6136
- YSI model 6026-4000, FNU
- YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU
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.