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LakeQuality

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir

Summit County, UtahView mapDirections

C
Fair

Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.

↓ down from B at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
7.5 ft
Secchi · sampled 2022
Max depth
~28 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Mesotrophic
  • Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
  • #10 of 18 in the county
  • 28 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir in Summit County, Utah has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L.

Clarity
7.5 ft
Max depth
~28 ft est.
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
8.2 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
3.5 µg/L
Public access
Yes
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Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is a mesotrophic lake in Summit County, Utah with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2022. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 17 other monitored lakes in Summit County, Smith And Morehouse Reservoir ranks #10 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2022-09-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch2 documented ramps
  • Camping2 public campgrounds nearby

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 C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.

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Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 8.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.5 µg/L. TSI 42. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7.5 ftNot graded
Phosphorus8.2 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)3.5 µg/LFair
Trophic State Index (TSI)42Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~28 ft est.
Public AccessYes

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

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
32 sq mi
Surface area
148 acres
Shoreline
2.6 mi
Elevation
7,687 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

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
2
Campgrounds
  • Smith and Morehouse WestPublic
  • Smith and Morehouse EastPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Public campgrounds near Smith And Morehouse Reservoir

  • Smith-Morehouse1.1 km
  • Ledgefork2.0 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 Smith And Morehouse Reservoir

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Smith and Morehouse (completed 1987), built primarily for irrigation on the Smith & Morehouse Creek; earth-type dam, 92 ft tall and 2,200 ft long.

Normal storage
8,350 ac-ft
Max storage
10,500 ac-ft
Drainage area
27 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
WEBER BASIN WATER CONSERVANCY DISTRICT

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID UT00280 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Metals (other than mercury)

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit UT16020101-026_00 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.58 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #10 of 18 lakes in Summit County

Nearby Lakes in Summit County

Frequently asked questions about Smith And Morehouse Reservoir

Where is Smith And Morehouse Reservoir?

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is a lake in Summit County, Utah. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Smith And Morehouse Reservoir?

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir in Summit County, Utah has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.5 µg/L.

Is Smith And Morehouse Reservoir safe to swim in?

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Smith And Morehouse Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Smith And Morehouse Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Smith And Morehouse Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Are there boat ramps on Smith And Morehouse Reservoir?

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Smith and Morehouse West, Smith and Morehouse East. Public access is listed as yes.

Are there campgrounds on Smith And Morehouse Reservoir?

Smith And Morehouse Reservoir has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Smith-Morehouse, Ledgefork. 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.

Where this data comes from

34 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Utah Department Of Environmental QualityUTAHDWQ_WQX34 samples · 2016–2022

Analytical methods

  • Field Measurements
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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)

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory

Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles