Walker Lake
Mineral County, NevadaView mapDirections
NDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Walker Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- Limited data
Walker Lake in Mineral County, Nevada has water-quality measurements published by NDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 629.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.4 µg/L.
Walker Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Mineral County, Nevada. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Mineral County, Walker Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEP, last sampled 2024-02-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Walker Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Walker Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Walker Lake
These are the measurements NDEP publishes for Walker Lake, 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 4.7 ft. Phosphorus 629.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.4 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 630µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.4µg/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. | 69 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Walker Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Walker Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Walker Lake in Mineral County, Nevada — 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 Walker Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Walker Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2012–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+45.07 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+5.95 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Walker Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NV09-WR-11_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Mineral County
Frequently asked questions about Walker Lake
Where is Walker Lake?
- Walker Lake is a lake in Mineral County, Nevada. Its water-quality measurements are published by NDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Walker Lake?
- Walker Lake in Mineral County, Nevada has water-quality measurements published by NDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 629.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.4 µg/L.
Is Walker Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Walker Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
175 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Nevada Water Science Center
USGS-NV175 samples · 2021–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database