Kirk Lake
Putnam County, New York124 acresView mapDirections
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.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 47 ft max depth
- Limited data
Kirk Lake in Putnam County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Surface area: 124 acres.
- Clarity
- 5 ft
- Max depth
- ~47 ft est.
- Area
- 124 acres
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Watch Kirk Lake’s letter
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Why Kirk Lake has no grade
Kirk 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, Kirk Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 5-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.
Kirk Lake is a 124-acre lake in Putnam County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Kirk Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Kirk Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft. TSI 54.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 54 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~47 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~21 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 124 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. New York has not published bathymetry for Kirk Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Kirk Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Kirk Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Kirk Lake Dam (completed 1871), built primarily for recreation on the TR-MUSCOOT RIVER; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall and 225 ft long.
- Surface area
- 124 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,705 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,822 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- NYCDEP DAMS EAST OF THE HUDSON RIVER
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NY00682 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Kirk Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY1302-0080 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
12 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Kirk Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 4 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Putnam National Golf Club WwtpMahopac · 0.8 mi away · NPDES NY0260371Recent violation
- Sclafani Petroleum IncMahopac · 1.5 mi away · NPDES NY0251453Recent violation
- Mahopac (V) StpCarmel · 1.5 mi away · NPDES NY0026590Recent violation
- Enviro Waste Oil Recovery TerminalMahopac · 1.5 mi away · NPDES NY0101753Recent violation
- Carnel Mac Gregor Sewer WorksScarsdale · 0.6 mi away · NPDES NY0219380
- Mahopac School Bus GarageMahopac · 0.9 mi away · NPDES NY0263991
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 Putnam County
Frequently asked questions about Kirk Lake
Where is Kirk Lake?
- Kirk Lake is a lake in Putnam 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 Kirk Lake?
- Kirk Lake in Putnam County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Surface area: 124 acres.
Is Kirk Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Kirk Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Kirk Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Kirk Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 47 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 124 acres.
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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 Society
NALMS8 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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)