North Sterling Reservoir
Logan County, Colorado2,880 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for North Sterling Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 89 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
North Sterling Reservoir in Logan County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 145 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 198.1 µg/L. Surface area: 2880 acres.
North Sterling Reservoir is a 2,880-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Logan County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 89 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Logan County, North Sterling Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2021-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
North Sterling Reservoir covers about 2,900 acres in Logan County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near North Sterling Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What North Sterling Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water2,880 acres
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. North Sterling Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether North Sterling Reservoir 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 North Sterling Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for North Sterling Reservoir, 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 1.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 145 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 198.1 µg/L. TSI 78.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 145µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 198µg/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. | 78 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about North Sterling Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~89 ft est.
Surface area
2,880 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Colorado WQCD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for North Sterling Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
332 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
20.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
4,065 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
- North Sterling State ParkPublic
- North Sterling State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near North Sterling Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near North Sterling Reservoir in Logan County, Colorado — 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 North Sterling Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near North Sterling Reservoir
Prices for Oct 23–25, 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 North Sterling Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
North Sterling Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Point of Rocks (completed 1948), built primarily for irrigation on the Cedar Creek; earth-type dam, 86 ft tall and 5,080 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,880 ac
- Normal storage
- 74,590 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 113,600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 370 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- NORTH STERLING IRRIGATION DISTRICT (YAHN, JIM)
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00384 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
North Sterling 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COSPLS03_B · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Logan County
Frequently asked questions about North Sterling Reservoir
Where is North Sterling Reservoir?
- North Sterling Reservoir is a lake in Logan County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of North Sterling Reservoir?
- North Sterling Reservoir in Logan County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 145 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 198.1 µg/L. Surface area: 2880 acres.
Is North Sterling Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. North Sterling Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is North Sterling Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers North Sterling Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 89 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 2880 acres.
Are there boat ramps on North Sterling Reservoir?
- North Sterling Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include North Sterling State Park, North Sterling State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at North Sterling Reservoir?
- North Sterling Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Colorado's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore North Sterling Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX18 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory