Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove
Strafford County, New Hampshire288 acresView mapDirections
NHDES publishes the water-quality measurements for Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove in Strafford County, New Hampshire has water-quality measurements published by NHDES, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 13.6 µg/L. Surface area: 288 acres.
Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is a 288-acre mesotrophic lake in Strafford County, New Hampshire. Compared to the 14 other monitored lakes in Strafford County, Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2025-06-17. 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. Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove
These are the measurements NHDES publishes for Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove, 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 13.6 µg/L. TSI 42.
| 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 | 13.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
288 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Baxter Lake Main Dam (completed 1923), built primarily for recreation on the Rickers Brook; earth-type dam, 19 ft tall and 175 ft long.
- Surface area
- 288 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,190 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,432 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.84 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- BAXTER LAKE FLOWAGE ASSOCIATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NH00394 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.97 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NHLAK600030602-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Strafford County
Frequently asked questions about Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove
Where is Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove?
- Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is a lake in Strafford County, New Hampshire. Its water-quality measurements are published by NHDES and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove?
- Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove in Strafford County, New Hampshire has water-quality measurements published by NHDES, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 13.6 µg/L. Surface area: 288 acres.
Is Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Baxter Lake-Cruze Cove is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- New Hampshire Department Of Environmental Services (BEACH)
111133006 samples · 2022–2025
Analytical methods
- 10-115-01-1 F ~ LACHAT; Total Phosphorus- Manual persulfate digest
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