Pueblo Reservoir
Pueblo County, Colorado5,671 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
↑ up from B at the last regrade
- Mesotrophic
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 95 ft max depth
- Public access
Pueblo Reservoir in Pueblo County, Colorado has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.9 µg/L. Surface area: 5671 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.5 ft
- Max depth
- ~95 ft est.
- Area
- 5,671 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Pueblo Reservoir is a 5,671-acre mesotrophic lake in Pueblo County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 95 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2023. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 5 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-09-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Pueblo Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch5 documented ramps
- Big water5,671 acres
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pueblo Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.9 µg/L. TSI 47. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.9 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 47 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
→ Pueblo Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~95 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 5,671 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Pueblo Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Pueblo Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
- Pueblo Reservoir State Wildlife AreaPublic
- Lake Pueblo State ParkPublic
- Lake Pueblo State Park - Northshore MarinaPublic
- Southshore MarinaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Pueblo Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.17 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1.45 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.59 µg/L/yr | 4 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pueblo Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pueblo Dam (completed 1975), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Arkansas River; buttress-type dam, 245 ft tall and 10,230 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,671 ac
- Normal storage
- 322,949 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 489,116 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4,613.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00299 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Pueblo Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COARMA20_A · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Pueblo County
Nearby Lakes in Pueblo County
Frequently asked questions about Pueblo Reservoir
Where is Pueblo Reservoir?
- Pueblo Reservoir is a lake in Pueblo County, Colorado. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Pueblo Reservoir?
- Pueblo Reservoir in Pueblo County, Colorado has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.9 µg/L. Surface area: 5671 acres.
Is Pueblo Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pueblo Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Pueblo Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Pueblo Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 95 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 5671 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Pueblo Reservoir?
- Pueblo Reservoir has 5 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pueblo Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Pueblo Reservoir State Wildlife Area, Lake Pueblo State Park, Lake Pueblo State Park - Northshore Marina, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Pueblo Reservoir across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Colorado's top lakes, each with its grade
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Colorado's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked
More Colorado Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Colorado
Mesotrophic Lakes in Colorado
Where this data comes from
412 measurements from 8 monitoring stations, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Colorado Water Science Center
USGS-CO400 samples · 2020–2023 - Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX12 samples · 2022–2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- HACH, sensor model 2100 AN, R-On
- YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
Monitoring station identifiers (8)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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