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LakeQuality

Rawlins Reservoir

Carbon County, Wyoming31 acresView mapDirections

D
Nutrient-rich

Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
No reading
No sample
Max depth
~13 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Eutrophic
  • #10 of 10 in the county
  • 13 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Rawlins Reservoir in Carbon County, Wyoming has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Surface area: 31 acres.

Max depth
~13 ft est.
Area
31 acres
Type
Eutrophic
Phosphorus
60 µg/L
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Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rawlins Reservoir in Carbon County, Wyoming — 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Rawlins Reservoir are listed below.

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Rawlins Reservoir is a 31-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Carbon County, Wyoming with an estimated average depth of about 13 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2017. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Carbon County, Rawlins Reservoir ranks #10 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wyoming DEQ, last sampled 2017-09-18. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

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 D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Rawlins Reservoir

Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)

No clarity data. Phosphorus 60 µg/L. TSI 63. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
Phosphorus60 µg/LPoor
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)63Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~13 ft est.
Surface Area31 acres

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Wyoming has not published bathymetry for Rawlins Reservoir.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
12 sq mi
Shoreline
1.2 mi
Elevation
7,605 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.

Fishing Rawlins Reservoir

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Rawlins Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rawlins (completed 1956), built primarily for water supply on the Sage Creek; earth-type dam, 47 ft tall and 700 ft long.

Surface area
31 ac
Normal storage
624 ac-ft
Max storage
792 ac-ft
Drainage area
0 sq mi
Hazard class
Low
Owner
CITY OF RAWLINS (DANNY RODRIGUEZ)

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WY00379 · Operator website

County Ranking

Ranked #10 of 10 lakes in Carbon County

Nearby Lakes in Carbon County

Frequently asked questions about Rawlins Reservoir

Where is Rawlins Reservoir?

Rawlins Reservoir is a lake in Carbon County, Wyoming. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Rawlins Reservoir?

Rawlins Reservoir in Carbon County, Wyoming has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Surface area: 31 acres.

Is Rawlins Reservoir safe to swim in?

The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Rawlins Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Rawlins Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 13 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 31 acres.

Where this data comes from

3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • State of Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Watershed ProgramWYDEQ_WATERSHED3 samples · 2017

Analytical methods

  • Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)