Chautauqua Lake
Chautauqua County, New YorkView mapDirections
NY DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Chautauqua Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.7 ft visibility.
Chautauqua Lake is a lake in Chautauqua County, New York. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Chautauqua Lake has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Chautauqua Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Chautauqua Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chautauqua Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chautauqua 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 Chautauqua Lake
These are the measurements NY DEC publishes for Chautauqua Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.7 ft. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 50 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Chautauqua Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Jul 6, 2026, 4:30 AM from gauge 03013946 (Chautauqua Lake at Bemus Point NY). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
Recreation & Access
- Chautauqua LakePublic
- Chautauqua LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Chautauqua Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County, New York — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Chautauqua Lake
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Fishing Chautauqua Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Chautauqua Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY0202-0072 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Chautauqua County
Frequently asked questions about Chautauqua Lake
Where is Chautauqua Lake?
- Chautauqua 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 Chautauqua Lake?
- Chautauqua Lake in Chautauqua County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.7 ft visibility.
Is Chautauqua Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chautauqua Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water level at Chautauqua Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Chautauqua Lake is 1307.93 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Jul 6, 2026, 4:30 AM at gauge 03013946. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Chautauqua Lake?
- Chautauqua Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chautauqua Lake, Chautauqua Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Chautauqua Lake?
- Chautauqua Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by New York's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Chautauqua Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
17 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
NALMS17 samples · 2020
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory