Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water

Strafford County Lake Quality

New Hampshire, 39 lakes, measured by NHDES

The county-level average smooths over real differences — a single agricultural watershed near the southwest corner can pull the average down even if the rest of the county runs clean. 13 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Most monitored lakes in Strafford County carry favourable nutrient and algae readings for New Hampshire.

The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the readings sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest measured lake is Ayers Pond-Deep Spot.

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Quick Answers for Strafford County

Cleanest lakes in Strafford County →Best swimming lakes in New Hampshire →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Ayers Pond-Deep Spot — or check the official New Hampshire fishing regulations.

All Lakes in Strafford County

39 lakes · 13 ranked on readings, 26 without enough sampling13 lakes ranked on readings · 26 without enough sampling, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (26)

#	Lake	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae	Trophic	Max Depth	Access
1	Ayers Pond-Deep SpotStrafford	No recent samples	11.2 µg/L	1.7 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
2	Baxter Lake-Cruze CoveStrafford	No recent samples	13.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
3	Baxter Lake-Deep SpotStrafford	No recent samples	12.4 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
4	Baxter Lake-Grandview InletStrafford	No recent samples	12.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
5	Sunrise Lake-Bartletts CoveStrafford	No recent samples	12.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
6	Sunrise Lake-Deep SpotStrafford	No recent samples	12.9 µg/L	16.3 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
7	Sunrise Lake-Hampshire ShoresStrafford	No recent samples	13.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
8	Sunrise Lake-Main BeachStrafford	No recent samples	11.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
9	Sunrise Lake-Nicola BeachStrafford	No recent samples	10.8 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
10	Sunrise Lake-Pinkham CoveStrafford	No recent samples	13.1 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
11	Sunrise Lake-Town BeachStrafford	No recent samples	11.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
12	Winkley Pond-Deep SpotStrafford	No recent samples	16 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
13	Wheelwright Pond-Deep SpotStrafford	No recent samples	20.9 µg/L	5.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Ayers Pond-Northwest CoveStrafford	No recent samples	11.9 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Bellamy ReservoirStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	Not recorded
	Bow LakeStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	65 ft	Not recorded
	Chalk PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	Not recorded
	Club PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	5 ft	Not recorded
	Downing PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	10 ft	Not recorded
	Jones PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	15 ft	Not recorded
	Kenneth Hill PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Lily PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	5 ft	Not recorded
	Long PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	11.5 ft	Not recorded
	Marchs PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	Not recorded
	Marsh PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	17 ft	Not recorded
	Mendums PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	45 ft	Not recorded
	Merrymeeting LakeStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	120 ft	✓ Public
	Milton PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Nippo PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	50 ft	Not recorded
	Northeast PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Rochester ReservoirStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	Not recorded
	Round PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	Not recorded
	Salmon Falls River Impoundment LakeStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Shaws PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	15 ft	Not recorded
	Sunrise Lake-Tanglewood BeachStrafford	No recent samples	21.6 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Swains LakeStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	25 ft	✓ Public
	Town House PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Willand PondStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	35 ft	✓ Public
	Willey PondsStrafford	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	24.6 ft	Not recorded

NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.

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Source: the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services. See data sources.