Quemado Dam Lake
Catron County, New Mexico130 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 14 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Quemado Dam Lake in Catron County, New Mexico is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 130 acres.
- Max depth
- ~14 ft est.
- Area
- 130 acres
- Public access
- Yes
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Why Quemado Dam Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Quemado Dam Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by NMED and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Quemado Dam Lake is a 130-acre lake in Catron County, New Mexico with an estimated average depth of about 14 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2022-05-24. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Quemado Dam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping8 public campgrounds nearby
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Quemado Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Quemado Dam Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
No clarity data.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 130 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. New Mexico has not published bathymetry for Quemado Dam Lake.
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
Public campgrounds near Quemado Dam Lake
- Quemado Lake - Juniper Cg0.7 km
- Quemado Lake - Pinon Cg1.0 km
- Quemado Lake - Pinon Group Sites1.3 km
- Quemado Lake - El Caso Cg #12.2 km
- Quemado Lake - El Caso Cg #22.4 km
- Quemado Lake - El Caso Cg #32.5 km
- Quemado Lake - El Caso Cg #43.2 km
- Quemado Lake - El Caso Cg #53.8 km
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
Fishing Quemado Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Quemado Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Quemado Lake Dam (completed 1971), built primarily for recreation on the Largo Creek; earth-type dam, 100 ft tall and 924 ft long.
- Surface area
- 130 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,990 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,538 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 62 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF GAME AND FISH
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00139 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Quemado Dam Lake 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 NM-9000.B_096 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.59 km)
Nearby Lakes in Catron County
Frequently asked questions about Quemado Dam Lake
Where is Quemado Dam Lake?
- Quemado Dam Lake is a lake in Catron County, New Mexico. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Quemado Dam Lake?
- Quemado Dam Lake in Catron County, New Mexico is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 130 acres.
Is Quemado Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Quemado Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Quemado Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Quemado Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 14 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 130 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Quemado Dam Lake?
- Quemado Dam Lake has 8 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Quemado Lake - Juniper Cg, Quemado Lake - Pinon Cg, Quemado Lake - Pinon Group Sites, Quemado Lake - El Caso Cg #1. 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 Quemado Dam Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX4 samples · 2014–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles