Ballston Lake
Saratoga County, New YorkView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 50 ft max depth
- Limited data
Ballston Lake in Saratoga County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.8 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 5.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~50 ft est.
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Watch Ballston Lake’s letter
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Why Ballston Lake has no grade
Ballston Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Ballston Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 5.8-foot median from 16 readings collected 2020 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by NYSDEC and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Ballston Lake is a lake in Saratoga County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Ballston Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Ballston Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 5.8 ft. TSI 52.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~50 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~17 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. New York has not published bathymetry for Ballston Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Ballston Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Ballston Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY1101-0036 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Ballston Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Old Homestead InnBurnt Hills · 2.9 mi away · NPDES NY0202452
- Council Meadows WwtpBurnt Hills · 3.4 mi away · NPDES NY0202029
- Carney'S RestaurantBallston Lake · 3.5 mi away · NPDES NY0249122
- Pig N Whistle @ The GroveBurnt Hills · 3.8 mi away · NPDES NY0205371
- Green Oak Blue Barns Apartments, Llc And William EichengrunClifton Park · 4.2 mi away · NPDES NY0252085
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Saratoga County
Frequently asked questions about Ballston Lake
Where is Ballston Lake?
- Ballston Lake is a lake in Saratoga County, New York. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Ballston Lake?
- Ballston Lake in Saratoga County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.8 ft visibility.
Is Ballston Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Ballston Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ballston Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Ballston Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS16 samples · 2020
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)