Bear Lake
Chautauqua County, New York123 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from NY DEC for this lake.
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 26 ft max depth
Bear Lake in Chautauqua County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 25.9 ft. Surface area: 123 acres.
Bear Lake is a 123-acre lake in Chautauqua County, New York with a maximum depth of 26 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingNot rated
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bear 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 Bear Lake
These are the measurements NY DEC publishes for Bear 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. TSI undefined.
Ask about Bear Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
25.9 ft
Surface area
123 acres
Shoreline
2.9 mi
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Fishing Bear Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Bear 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: Drinking water, Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY0202-0008 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Chautauqua County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Lake
Where is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake is a lake in Chautauqua 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 Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake in Chautauqua County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 25.9 ft. Surface area: 123 acres.
Is Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bear Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 25.9 feet. The lake covers 123 acres.
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Where this data comes from
Measurements for Bear Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database