Otsego County Lake Quality

There are 20 monitored lakes in Otsego County. The mix is varied enough that the county-level average tells you the broad strokes, not the choose-this-cabin specifics. The 20 monitored lakes in Otsego County carry whatever clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a readings NY DEC has published, shown as reported.

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.