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LakeQuality

Howlands Lake

Westchester County, New York26 acresView mapDirections

NR
Not rated

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.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
3.1 ft
Secchi · sampled 2020
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
  • Limited data

Howlands Lake in Westchester County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Surface area: 26 acres.

Clarity
3.1 ft
Area
26 acres
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Stays near Howlands Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Howlands Lake in Westchester 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.

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Watch Howlands Lake’s letter

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Why Howlands Lake has no grade

Howlands 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, Howlands Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 3.1-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.

Howlands Lake is a 26-acre lake in Westchester County, New York.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-10-04. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Howlands Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

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Water quality measurements for Howlands Lake

These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.

Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility. TSI 61.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)3.1 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)61Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Surface Area26 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Howlands Lake, so its depth is not documented here.

Fishing Howlands Lake

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Howlands Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Howlands Lake Dam (completed 1895), built primarily for recreation on the KISCO RIVER; stone-type dam, 18 ft tall and 67 ft long.

Surface area
26 ac
Normal storage
132 ac-ft
Max storage
184 ac-ft
Hazard class
Significant
Owner
BEDFORD LAKE PARK ASSOCIATION INC

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NY00973 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Howlands Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY1302-0147 · Official waterbody report

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

19 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Howlands Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 5 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

  • Khal Adas Kashau
    Bedford Hills · 2.7 mi away · NPDES NY0147249
    Recent violation
  • Fox Hollow Sewer Co. Wwtp
    New Castle · 3.1 mi away · NPDES NY0165425
    Recent violation
  • Bedford (T) Highway Dept
    Bedford Hills · 3.2 mi away · NPDES NY0264229
    Recent violation
  • Bedford Hills / Katohah Business Sd
    Bedford Hills · 3.6 mi away · NPDES NY0101885
    Recent violation
  • Lewisboro Elementary School
    South Salem · 3.8 mi away · NPDES NY0036684
    Recent violation
  • Byram Lake Filtration Plant
    Mt. Kisco · 1.3 mi away · NPDES NY0264113

Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.

Nearby Lakes in Westchester County

Frequently asked questions about Howlands Lake

Where is Howlands Lake?

Howlands Lake is a lake in Westchester 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 Howlands Lake?

Howlands Lake in Westchester County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Surface area: 26 acres.

Is Howlands Lake safe to swim in?

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Howlands Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

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 SocietyNALMS8 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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)