Willow Creek Reservoir West
Elko County, Nevada480 acresView mapDirections
NDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Willow Creek Reservoir West. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- Limited data
Willow Creek Reservoir West in Elko County, Nevada has water-quality measurements published by NDEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 455 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Surface area: 480 acres.
Willow Creek Reservoir West is a 480-acre lake in Elko County, Nevada. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEP, last sampled 2014-06-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Willow Creek Reservoir West is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Willow Creek Reservoir West 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 Willow Creek Reservoir West
These are the measurements NDEP publishes for Willow Creek Reservoir West, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 455 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 70.
| 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 | 455µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 70 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Willow Creek Reservoir West
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
480 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Willow Creek Reservoir West, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Willow Creek Reservoir West
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2012–2017).
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-106.79 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.99 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Willow Creek Reservoir West is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Willow Creek Dam (completed 1986), built primarily for irrigation on the Willow Creek; rockfill-type dam, 58 ft tall and 493 ft long.
- Surface area
- 480 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 113 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- NEVADA GOLD MINES LLC
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NV00054 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.19 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Willow Creek Reservoir West 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: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation, Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NV04-HR-35-B_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Elko County
Frequently asked questions about Willow Creek Reservoir West
Where is Willow Creek Reservoir West?
- Willow Creek Reservoir West is a lake in Elko County, Nevada. Its water-quality measurements are published by NDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Willow Creek Reservoir West?
- Willow Creek Reservoir West in Elko County, Nevada has water-quality measurements published by NDEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 455 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L. Surface area: 480 acres.
Is Willow Creek Reservoir West safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Willow Creek Reservoir West is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2014. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nevada Division of Environmental Protection
21NEV1_WQX13 samples · 2012–2014
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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