Butterfield Lake
Jefferson County, New YorkView 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.
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Butterfield Lake in Jefferson County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11.3 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 11.3 ft
- Max depth
- ~34 ft est.
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Butterfield Lake’s letter
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Why Butterfield Lake has no grade
Butterfield 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, Butterfield Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 11.3-foot median from 8 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.
Butterfield Lake is a lake in Jefferson County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 34 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-12. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Butterfield Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Butterfield Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Good clarity, visible to about 11.3 ft. TSI 42.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 11.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 42 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~34 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~31 ft est. |
| Public Access | Yes |
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 Butterfield 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.
Recreation & Access
- Butterfield LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Butterfield Lake
Graded lakes near Butterfield Lake
Butterfield Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Jefferson County
Frequently asked questions about Butterfield Lake
Where is Butterfield Lake?
- Butterfield Lake is a lake in Jefferson 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 Butterfield Lake?
- Butterfield Lake in Jefferson County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11.3 ft visibility.
Is Butterfield Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Butterfield Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Butterfield Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 34 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Butterfield Lake?
- Butterfield Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Butterfield Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Butterfield Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 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
NALMS8 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory