Wallowa Lake
Wallowa County, Oregon1,530 acresView mapDirections
Oregon DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Wallowa Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Pathogens (E. coli, fecal)
- 96 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Wallowa Lake in Wallowa County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.5 µg/L. Surface area: 1530 acres.
Wallowa Lake is a 1,530-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Wallowa County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 96 feet. 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, Oregon DEQ, last sampled 2025-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Wallowa Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water1,530 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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. Wallowa Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pathogens (E. coli, fecal), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wallowa Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Wallowa Lake
These are the measurements Oregon DEQ publishes for Wallowa Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 0.5 µg/L. TSI 24.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading 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) | 0.5µg/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. | 24 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Wallowa Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~96 ft est.
Surface area
1,530 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oregon DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oregon has not published bathymetry for Wallowa Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
51 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
4,370 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
- Wallowa Lake County Park (North)Public
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 Wallowa Lake
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Fishing Wallowa Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2024–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Wallowa Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wallowa Lake (completed 1931), built primarily for irrigation on the Wallowa River; concrete-type dam, 40 ft tall and 190 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,530 ac
- Normal storage
- 49,257 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 49,257 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 53 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Wallowa Lake Irrigation District
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00465 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Wallowa 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, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OR_LK_1706010501_02_100618 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wallowa County
Frequently asked questions about Wallowa Lake
Where is Wallowa Lake?
- Wallowa Lake is a lake in Wallowa County, Oregon. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oregon DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Wallowa Lake?
- Wallowa Lake in Wallowa County, Oregon has water-quality measurements published by Oregon DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.5 µg/L. Surface area: 1530 acres.
Is Wallowa Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wallowa Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pathogens (E. coli, fecal), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Wallowa Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Wallowa Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 96 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 1530 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Wallowa Lake?
- Wallowa Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Wallowa Lake County Park (North). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Wallowa Lake?
- Wallowa Lake 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 Oregon's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Department of Environmental Quality - State of Oregon
OREGONDEQ8 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory