Sweitzer Reservoir
Delta County, Colorado139 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Sweitzer Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 12 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sweitzer Reservoir in Delta County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Surface area: 139 acres.
Sweitzer Reservoir is a 139-acre mesotrophic lake in Delta County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 12 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Delta County, Sweitzer Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sweitzer Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Sweitzer Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sweitzer Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Water Quality Control Division of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sweitzer Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Sweitzer Reservoir, 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 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 32 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.3 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 32µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.3µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 54 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sweitzer Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~12 ft est.
Surface area
139 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Colorado WQCD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Colorado has not published bathymetry for Sweitzer Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
5,141 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
- Sweitzer Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Sweitzer Reservoir
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Top-rated places to stay near Sweitzer Reservoir
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Fishing Sweitzer Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sweitzer Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Garnet Mesa (completed 1954), built primarily for recreation on the Uncompahgre River-Tr; earth-type dam, 41 ft tall and 659 ft long.
- Surface area
- 139 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,333 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,980 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COLORADO PARKS AND WILDLIFE (TAYLOR, MARGARET)
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO00747 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Sweitzer 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COGUUN20_A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Delta County
Frequently asked questions about Sweitzer Reservoir
Where is Sweitzer Reservoir?
- Sweitzer Reservoir is a lake in Delta County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sweitzer Reservoir?
- Sweitzer Reservoir in Delta County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.3 µg/L. Surface area: 139 acres.
Is Sweitzer Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sweitzer 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 Sweitzer Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Sweitzer Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 12 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 139 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Sweitzer Reservoir?
- Sweitzer Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sweitzer Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sweitzer Reservoir?
- Sweitzer 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 Colorado's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Sweitzer Reservoir across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Black Canyon Of The Gunnison?
Sweitzer Reservoir is about 19 miles from Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Black Canyon Of The Gunnison →More lakes in Colorado
Other Lakes in Colorado
Mesotrophic Lakes in Colorado
Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX18 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk depth measurement
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrogen in Water by Pyrolysis Detection
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory