Lime Lake
Cattaraugus County, New York154 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)
- 19 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lime Lake in Cattaraugus County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.6 ft visibility. Surface area: 154 acres.
- Clarity
- 7.6 ft
- Max depth
- ~19 ft est.
- Area
- 154 acres
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Watch Lime Lake’s letter
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Why Lime Lake has no grade
Lime 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, Lime Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 7.6-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.
Lime Lake is a 154-acre lake in Cattaraugus County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 19 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-13. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lime 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 Lime Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.6 ft. TSI 48.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 7.6 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 48 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~19 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~13 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 154 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 Lime 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 Lime Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lime Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lime Lake Outlet Dam (completed 1850), built primarily for recreation on the LIME LAKE OUTLET; earth-type dam, 12 ft tall and 200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 154 ac
- Normal storage
- 550 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 616 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- CATTARAUGUS COUNTY;LIME LAKE COTTAGE OWNERS ASSOCIATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NY00924 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.92 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Lime 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 NY0104-0001 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lime Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Cattaraugus Co Dpw - Franklinville BarnMachias · 3.6 mi away · NPDES NY0291269
- 3 Olmstead ApartmentsDelevan · 4.7 mi away · NPDES NY0275506
- The Woods At Bear CreekFranklinville · 4.7 mi away · NPDES NY0098388
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 Cattaraugus County
Frequently asked questions about Lime Lake
Where is Lime Lake?
- Lime Lake is a lake in Cattaraugus 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 Lime Lake?
- Lime Lake in Cattaraugus County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 7.6 ft visibility. Surface area: 154 acres.
Is Lime Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lime 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 Lime Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lime Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 19 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 154 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)