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LakeQuality

Lower Otay Lake

San Diego County, California1,015 acresView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from SWRCB for this lake.

Area
1,015 acres
Surface area
Shoreline
13.4 mi
Measured length
  • Impaired · Ammonia
  • Limited data

Lower Otay Lake in San Diego County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Surface area: 1015 acres.

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Lower Otay Lake is a 1,015-acre lake in San Diego County, California.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Lower Otay Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Big water1,015 acres

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Otay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for ammonia, mercury, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity, taste, color, odor. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Lower Otay Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the California State Water Resources Control Board and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

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Water quality measurements for Lower Otay Lake

These are the measurements SWRCB publishes for Lower Otay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data.

Ask about Lower Otay Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Surface area

1,015 acres

Shoreline

13.4 mi

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

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lower Otay Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lower Otay Lake in San Diego County, California — 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.

Top-rated places to stay near Lower Otay Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Fishing Lower Otay Lake

EPA Impairment Status

Lower Otay Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

AmmoniaMercuryMetals (other than mercury)Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)pH / acidityTaste, color, odor

Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Fish consumption.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit CAL9103100019991117155943 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in San Diego County

Frequently asked questions about Lower Otay Lake

Where is Lower Otay Lake?

Lower Otay Lake is a lake in San Diego County, California. Its water-quality measurements are published by SWRCB and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Lower Otay Lake?

Lower Otay Lake in San Diego County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Surface area: 1015 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lower Otay Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lower Otay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for ammonia, mercury, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity, taste, color, odor. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

Measurements for Lower Otay Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database