Willow Creek Reservoir
Morrow County, Oregon269 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 28 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Willow Creek Reservoir in Morrow County, Oregon is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 269 acres.
- Clarity
- 9.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~28 ft est.
- Area
- 269 acres
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Willow Creek Reservoir’s letter
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Why Willow Creek Reservoir has no grade
Willow Creek Reservoir has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Willow Creek Reservoir is Not Rated — not an F. Its 9.8-foot median from 1 readings collected 2020 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by Oregon DEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Willow Creek Reservoir is a 269-acre lake in Morrow County, Oregon with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. 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 2020-07-07. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Willow Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water9.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Not ratedBacteria advisory
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Willow Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Willow Creek Reservoir
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft. TSI 44.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 9.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 44 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:45 PM from gauge 14034490 (WILLOW CREEK LAKE AT HEPPNER, OR). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Willow Creek Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~28 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 269 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oregon has not published bathymetry for Willow Creek Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Willow Creek LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Willow Creek Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Willow Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Willow Creek Dam (completed 1982), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Willow Creek, 160 ft tall and 1,780 ft long.
- Surface area
- 269 ac
- Normal storage
- 4,326 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 14,091 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 96 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Portland District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Irrigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OR00746 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Willow Creek Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OR_LK_1707010401_02_100012 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Willow Creek Reservoir
Willow Creek Reservoir has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Morrow County
Frequently asked questions about Willow Creek Reservoir
Where is Willow Creek Reservoir?
- Willow Creek Reservoir is a lake in Morrow County, Oregon. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Willow Creek Reservoir?
- Willow Creek Reservoir in Morrow County, Oregon is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 269 acres.
Is Willow Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Willow Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Willow Creek Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Willow Creek Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 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 269 acres.
What is the water level at Willow Creek Reservoir?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Willow Creek Reservoir is 2050.73 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:45 PM at gauge 14034490. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Willow Creek Reservoir?
- Willow Creek Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Willow Creek Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS1 sample · 2020
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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