Sheep Creek Lake
Elko County, Nevada100 acresView mapDirections
NDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Sheep Creek Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Sheep Creek Lake in Elko County, Nevada has water-quality measurements published by NDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.5 µg/L. Surface area: 100 acres.
Sheep Creek Lake is a 100-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Elko County, Nevada. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Elko County, Sheep Creek Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEP, last sampled 2023-09-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Sheep Creek Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sheep Creek Lake
These are the measurements NDEP publishes for Sheep Creek Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft. Phosphorus 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.5 µg/L. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 83µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19.5µg/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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sheep Creek Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
100 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Sheep Creek Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sheep Creek Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sheep Creek Lake in Elko County, Nevada — 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 Sheep Creek Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Sheep Creek Lake
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Fishing Sheep Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 10 years of monitoring (2012–2023).
Phosphorus
Stable+0.71 µg/L/yr10 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.92 µg/L/yr9 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sheep Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sheep Creek, built primarily for recreation on the Sheep Creek; earth-type dam, 24 ft tall and 2,103 ft long.
- Surface area
- 100 ac
- Normal storage
- 9,702 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 38 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- BIA
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NV10135 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Elko County
Frequently asked questions about Sheep Creek Lake
Where is Sheep Creek Lake?
- Sheep Creek Lake is a lake in Elko County, Nevada. Its water-quality measurements are published by NDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sheep Creek Lake?
- Sheep Creek Lake in Elko County, Nevada has water-quality measurements published by NDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.5 µg/L. Surface area: 100 acres.
Is Sheep Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Sheep Creek Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
124 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Bureau of Reclamation
1119USBR_WQX123 samples · 2012–2023 - Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Nevada (Tribal)
SHOPAITR_WQX1 sample · 2013
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Single Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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.