Burden Lake
Rensselaer County, New York369 acresView 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 · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- 47 ft max depth
- Limited data
Burden Lake in Rensselaer County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 14.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 369 acres.
- Clarity
- 14.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~47 ft est.
- Area
- 369 acres
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Watch Burden Lake’s letter
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Why Burden Lake has no grade
Burden 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, Burden Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 14.8-foot median from 6 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.
Burden Lake is a 369-acre lake in Rensselaer County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Burden Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.8 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Burden Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Burden Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.8 ft. TSI 38.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 14.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 38 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~47 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~25 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 369 acres |
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 Burden 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 Burden Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Burden Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Burden Lake Dam (completed 1916), built primarily for recreation on the TR-WYNANTSKILL; earth-type dam, 24 ft tall and 365 ft long.
- Surface area
- 369 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,598 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 7,600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.37 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Burden Lake Preservation Corporation;Daniel L. Alger;Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Liane Densmore;RENSSELAER COUNTY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NY00275 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Burden 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 NY1301-0025 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.33 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Burden Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Cedar Acres Trailer ParkNassau · 3.6 mi away · NPDES NY0222861Recent violation
- Town Of Schodack Sewer Dist No 5East Schodack · 4.6 mi away · NPDES NY0242012Recent violation
- Crooked Lake House, IncSand Lake · 2.1 mi away · NPDES NY0240648
- East Schodack Fire HeadquartersEast Schodack · 4.2 mi away · NPDES NY0088030
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 Rensselaer County
Frequently asked questions about Burden Lake
Where is Burden Lake?
- Burden Lake is a lake in Rensselaer 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 Burden Lake?
- Burden Lake in Rensselaer County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 14.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 369 acres.
Is Burden Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Burden Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Burden Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Burden Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 47 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 369 acres.
Explore Burden Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
6 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
NALMS6 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)