Wolford Mountain Reservoir
Grand County, Colorado1,550 acresView mapDirections
Colorado WQCD publishes the water-quality measurements for Wolford Mountain Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Wolford Mountain Reservoir in Grand County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Surface area: 1550 acres.
Wolford Mountain Reservoir is a 1,550-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Grand County, Colorado. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Grand County, Wolford Mountain Reservoir ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, CDPHE, last sampled 2023-10-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Wolford Mountain Reservoir covers about 1,600 acres in Grand County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Wolford Mountain Reservoir, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Wolford Mountain Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water1,550 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wolford Mountain 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 Wolford Mountain Reservoir
These are the measurements Colorado WQCD publishes for Wolford Mountain Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 42 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Wolford Mountain Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,550 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Wolford Mountain Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Wolford Mountain Reservoir
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Fishing Wolford Mountain Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.45 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.13 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Wolford Mountain Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ritschard (completed 1995), built primarily for irrigation on the Muddy Creek; earth-type dam, 126 ft tall and 1,910 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,550 ac
- Normal storage
- 65,985 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 84,639 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 269 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COLORADO RIVER WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT (CAUSEY
All listed purposes: Irrigation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CO02788 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Grand County
Frequently asked questions about Wolford Mountain Reservoir
Where is Wolford Mountain Reservoir?
- Wolford Mountain Reservoir is a lake in Grand County, Colorado. Its water-quality measurements are published by Colorado WQCD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Wolford Mountain Reservoir?
- Wolford Mountain Reservoir in Grand County, Colorado has water-quality measurements published by Colorado WQCD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Surface area: 1550 acres.
Is Wolford Mountain Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Wolford Mountain Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
207 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Colorado Water Science Center
USGS-CO207 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- YSI EXO, 470/685/40,S bacillaris
- HACH, sensor model 2100 AN, R-On
- YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU
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.