Vega Reservoir
Mesa County, Colorado1,109 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Vega Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 53 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Vega Reservoir in Mesa County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19 µg/L. Surface area: 1109 acres.
Vega Reservoir is a 1,109-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Mesa County, Colorado with an estimated average depth of about 53 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Mesa County, Vega Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-07-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Vega Reservoir covers about 1,100 acres in Mesa County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Vega Reservoir on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Vega Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water1,109 acres
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. Vega Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Vega 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 Vega Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Vega 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 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 60µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19µg/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. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Vega Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Vega Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~53 ft est.
Surface area
1,109 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 Vega Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
24 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
7,972 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
- Vega State ParkPublic
- Vega State ParkPublic
- Vega 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 Vega Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Vega Reservoir in Mesa County, Colorado — 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 Vega Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Vega Reservoir
Prices for Oct 23–25, 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 Vega Reservoir → · more Colorado lake trips
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Fishing Vega Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-30 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-8 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Vega Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Vega Dam (completed 1959), built primarily for irrigation on the Plateau Creek; earth-type dam, 162 ft tall and 2,100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,109 ac
- Normal storage
- 32,980 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 38,102 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 24.05 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO01697 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Vega 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: Drinking water.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit COLCLC20_D · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Mesa County
Frequently asked questions about Vega Reservoir
Where is Vega Reservoir?
- Vega Reservoir is a lake in Mesa County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Vega Reservoir?
- Vega Reservoir in Mesa County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19 µg/L. Surface area: 1109 acres.
Is Vega Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Vega 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 Vega Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Vega Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 53 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 1109 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Vega Reservoir?
- Vega Reservoir has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Vega State Park, Vega State Park, Vega State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Vega Reservoir?
- Vega Reservoir has 3 documented boat landings 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 Vega Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
21 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Colorado Dept. of Public Health & Environment-WQCD
21COL001_WQX21 samples · 2022–2023
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 (3)
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