Elmer Lake
Salem County, New Jersey36 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Elmer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- Limited data
Elmer Lake in Salem County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 120 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.1 µg/L. Surface area: 36 acres.
Elmer Lake is a 36-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Salem County, New Jersey. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Salem County, Elmer Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-10-31. 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. Elmer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), metals (other than mercury), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Elmer 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 Elmer Lake
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Elmer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 120 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 27.1 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 120µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 27.1µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Lake Details
Surface area
36 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Elmer Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Elmer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Elmer Lake in Salem 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 Elmer Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Elmer Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Elmer Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Elmer Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Muddy Run; earth-type dam, 12 ft tall and 600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 36 ac
- Normal storage
- 121 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 11.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- County of Salem
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00618 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Elmer 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: Drinking water, Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NJ02040206150010-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Salem County
Frequently asked questions about Elmer Lake
Where is Elmer Lake?
- Elmer Lake is a lake in Salem County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elmer Lake?
- Elmer Lake in Salem County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 120 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.1 µg/L. Surface area: 36 acres.
Is Elmer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elmer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), metals (other than mercury), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM40 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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