Rensselaer County Lake Quality
New York, 7 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Rensselaer County has 7 graded lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. The county average is C — the middle of the rubric, with one or two lakes pulling the average up or down depending on year.
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. Burden Lake (A) is the cleanest in the county.
Quick Answers for Rensselaer County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Burden Lake — or check the official New York fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Rensselaer County
| Rank | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burden Lake | A | 14.8 ft | - |
| 2 | Taconic Pond | B | 12.8 ft | - |
| 3 | Spring Lake | C | 9.5 ft | - |
| 4 | Forest Lake | C | 8.4 ft | - |
| 5 | Round Pond | C | 7.1 ft | - |
| 6 | Big Bowman Pond | C | 7.4 ft | - |
| 7 | Vosburg Pond | D | 4.1 ft | - |
Other Counties in New York
See how Rensselaer County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all 15 states.
Where to stay near Rensselaer County
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.