Plumas County Lake Quality

There are 19 monitored lakes in Plumas County. The mix is varied enough that the county-level average tells you the broad strokes, not the choose-this-cabin specifics. 1 of those lake carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. On average, Plumas County lakes carry some of the lowest phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings in California, with clear summer transparency across most monitored basins.

Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow, under 50 feet, which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Lake Almanor has the lowest nutrient and algae readings in the county.