Hammonton Lake
Atlantic County, New Jersey71 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Hammonton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
Hammonton Lake in Atlantic County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 26.2 µg/L. Surface area: 71 acres.
Hammonton Lake is a 71-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Atlantic County, New Jersey. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Atlantic County, Hammonton Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-10-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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. Hammonton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pH / acidity, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hammonton 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 Hammonton Lake
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Hammonton Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. Phosphorus 34.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 26.2 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 34.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 26.2µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Hammonton Lake
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Lake Details
Surface area
71 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Hammonton Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Hammonton Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hammonton Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hammonton Lake Dam (completed 1902), built primarily for recreation on the Hammonton Creek; earth-type dam, 13 ft tall and 325 ft long.
- Surface area
- 71 ac
- Normal storage
- 426 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- NJDOT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00476 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hammonton 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, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NJ02040301170010-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Atlantic County
Frequently asked questions about Hammonton Lake
Where is Hammonton Lake?
- Hammonton Lake is a lake in Atlantic County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hammonton Lake?
- Hammonton Lake in Atlantic County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 26.2 µg/L. Surface area: 71 acres.
Is Hammonton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hammonton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pH / acidity, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
85 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM85 samples · 2020–2021
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