Sumner Lake Dam
De Baca County, New Mexico7,615 acresView mapDirections
NMED publishes the water-quality measurements for Sumner Lake Dam. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Sumner Lake Dam in De Baca County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.1 µg/L. Surface area: 7615 acres.
Sumner Lake Dam is a 7,615-acre lake in De Baca County, New Mexico. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NMED, last sampled 2020-08-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 7,600 acres, Sumner Lake Dam is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Sumner Lake Dam, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Sumner Lake Dam is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water7,615 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sumner Lake Dam is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Mexico Environment Department and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sumner Lake Dam
These are the measurements NMED publishes for Sumner Lake Dam, 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 4.9 ft. Chlorophyll-a 5.1 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.1µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sumner Lake Dam
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Sumner Lake Dam water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Surface area
7,615 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NMED
No bathymetric survey has been published for Sumner Lake Dam, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Sumner Lake 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 Sumner Lake Dam
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sumner Lake Dam in De Baca County, New Mexico — 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.
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Fishing Sumner Lake Dam
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2019–2020). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Chlorophyll-a
0 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sumner Lake Dam is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sumner Dam (completed 1937), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Pecos River; earth-type dam, 164 ft tall and 3,084 ft long.
- Surface area
- 7,615 ac
- Normal storage
- 63,690 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 227,683 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4,511.27 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NM00130 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in De Baca County
Frequently asked questions about Sumner Lake Dam
Where is Sumner Lake Dam?
- Sumner Lake Dam is a lake in De Baca County, New Mexico. Its water-quality measurements are published by NMED and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sumner Lake Dam?
- Sumner Lake Dam in De Baca County, New Mexico has water-quality measurements published by NMED, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.1 µg/L. Surface area: 7615 acres.
Is Sumner Lake Dam safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Sumner Lake Dam?
- Sumner Lake Dam has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sumner Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sumner Lake Dam?
- Sumner Lake Dam 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 New Mexico's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- NM Environmental Dept./SWQB
21NMEX_WQX7 samples · 2019–2020
Analytical methods
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory