Cranberry Lake
Sussex County, New Jersey191 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Cranberry Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Cranberry Lake in Sussex County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.3 µg/L. Surface area: 191 acres.
Cranberry Lake is a 191-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Sussex County, New Jersey. Compared to the 17 other monitored lakes in Sussex County, Cranberry Lake ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cranberry Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cranberry Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Cranberry Lake
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Cranberry 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 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 21.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 9.3 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 21.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 9.3µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Lake Details
Surface area
191 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Cranberry Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Cranberry Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cranberry Lake in Sussex County, New Jersey — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Cranberry Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Cranberry Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cranberry Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cranberry Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Lubbers Run; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall and 1,000 ft long.
- Surface area
- 191 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,457 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Division of Parks and Forestry
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00325 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Cranberry 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NJ02040105150060-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sussex County
Frequently asked questions about Cranberry Lake
Where is Cranberry Lake?
- Cranberry Lake is a lake in Sussex County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cranberry Lake?
- Cranberry Lake in Sussex County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.3 µg/L. Surface area: 191 acres.
Is Cranberry Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cranberry Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM23 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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