Starvation Reservoir
Duchesne County, Utah3,310 acresView mapDirections
Utah DWQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Starvation Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- Public access
Starvation Reservoir in Duchesne County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Surface area: 3310 acres.
Starvation Reservoir is a 3,310-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Duchesne County, Utah. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Duchesne County, Starvation Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Utah DWQ, last sampled 2025-09-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Starvation Reservoir covers about 3,300 acres in Duchesne County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Starvation Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Starvation Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water3,310 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Starvation Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Starvation Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Utah Division of Water Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Starvation Reservoir
These are the measurements Utah DWQ publishes for Starvation Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.4 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Starvation Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
3,310 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Utah DWQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Starvation Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Starvation State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Starvation Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Starvation Reservoir in Duchesne County, Utah — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Starvation Reservoir
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Starvation Reservoir → · more Utah lake trips
Follow Starvation Reservoir’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Starvation Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 14 years of monitoring (2012–2025).
Water clarity
Stable14 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.86 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.08 µg/L/yr11 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Starvation Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Starvation Dam (completed 1970), built primarily for irrigation on the Strawberry River; earth-type dam, 210 ft tall and 3,070 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,310 ac
- Normal storage
- 165,320 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 186,990 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,058.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID UT10136 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Starvation Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit UT-L-14060004-006_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Duchesne County
Frequently asked questions about Starvation Reservoir
Where is Starvation Reservoir?
- Starvation Reservoir is a lake in Duchesne County, Utah. Its water-quality measurements are published by Utah DWQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Starvation Reservoir?
- Starvation Reservoir in Duchesne County, Utah has water-quality measurements published by Utah DWQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Surface area: 3310 acres.
Is Starvation Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Starvation Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Starvation Reservoir?
- Starvation Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Starvation State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Starvation Reservoir?
- Starvation Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Utah's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Starvation Reservoir across LakeQuality
More lakes in Utah
Other Lakes in Utah
Oligotrophic Lakes in Utah
Where this data comes from
2,415 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Utah Department Of Environmental Quality
UTAHDWQ_WQX2,415 samples · 2012–2025
Analytical methods
- Field Measurements
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- Metals in Water by ICP-AES
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidiy determined in the field
- 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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory