Blue Mesa Reservoir Right Now
Blue Mesa Reservoir's water level has been rising over the past week. Watershed conditions are in extreme drought. Today's forecast calls for mostly sunny then slight chance showers and thunderstorms.
- 7-day level change
- Up 0.1 feet
- Forecast high
- 76°F
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Overview
Blue Mesa Reservoir is Colorado's largest body of water by volume - about 9,180 acres at full pool - on the Gunnison River west of Gunnison. Blue Mesa Dam (1960s) is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Colorado River Storage Project / Aspinall Unit, with recreation managed in Curecanti National Recreation Area. Blue Mesa is the uppermost and largest storage unit of the Aspinall Unit above Morrow Point and Crystal reservoirs.
About 96-98 miles of shoreline wrap three connected basins (Iola, Cebolla, and Sapinero) with sagebrush hills and deep river channels. The reservoir stores water for power, Compact deliveries, and downstream Gunnison Canyon uses. Three named basins (Iola, Cebolla, Sapinero) fish differently as thermoclines and forage shift through summer.
Kokanee, lake trout, and other coldwater species make Blue Mesa a flagship Colorado fishery managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. NPS campgrounds, ramps, and marinas provide public access. Curecanti National Recreation Area campgrounds and boat ramps are the primary public gateways.
Full pool is about 7,519 feet (NAVD88). Seasonal drawdowns for power and storage can expose large flats; monitoring current lake levels is important for ramps, fishing, and camping around Curecanti. NAVD88 full-pool elevation 7,519.4 feet is the modern survey reference used in recent USGS reservoir studies.
Blue Mesa Reservoir is a 9,180-acre reservoir on the Gunnison River managed by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; NPS Curecanti National Recreation Area.