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LakeQuality

Hamilton County, New York · Water Quality Report Card

Blue Mountain Lake

Grade Not rated
Limited DataOligotrophic

Blue Mountain Lake in Hamilton County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility.

Clarity
21 ft
Mean depth
~38 ft est.
Type
Oligotrophic

Blue Mountain Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Hamilton County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 38 feet.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2021-08-17. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Not rated for swimming — there is not enough monitoring data to judge this lake

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Water Quality Grade: Not rated

Crystal clear, you can see 21 ft down. Trophic State Index: 33.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)21 ft
PhosphorusNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)33Oligotrophic

Low nutrients, clear water, excellent for swimming

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Average Depth~38 ft est.

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled estimate from HydroLAKES, not a measured survey. New York has not published bathymetry for Blue Mountain Lake.

Where to stay near Blue Mountain Lake

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Location

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Nearby Lakes in Hamilton County

More records, surveys & data sources

EPA Impairment Status

Blue Mountain Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY0903-0204 · Official waterbody report

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
Surface area
1,184 acres
Mean depth (modeled estimate)
~38 ft est.
Shoreline
10 mi
Elevation
1,785 ft

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.

Where this data comes from

4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • USGS New York Water Science CenterUSGS-NY4 samples · 2021
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

Grade thresholds come from the U.S. EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 Technical Support Document (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated.

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion

Most recent sample: 2021-08-17

Monitoring stations: 1

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