Barnes Lake
Lewis County, New YorkView mapDirections
NY DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Barnes Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- Limited data
Barnes Lake in Lewis County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.4 µg/L.
Barnes Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Lewis County, New York. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2023-08-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Barnes Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Barnes Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Barnes Lake
These are the measurements NY DEC publishes for Barnes Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.4 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.4µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Barnes Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Barnes Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-1 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+11.1 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Barnes Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY0801-0134 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lewis County
Frequently asked questions about Barnes Lake
Where is Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake is a lake in Lewis County, New York. Its water-quality measurements are published by NY DEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barnes Lake?
- Barnes Lake in Lewis County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.4 µg/L.
Is Barnes Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Barnes Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS New York Water Science Center
USGS-NY5 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Chlorophyll a,fluorometric,uncor
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database