Malaga Lake
Gloucester County, New Jersey100 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Malaga Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Malaga Lake in Gloucester County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 110 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.2 µg/L. Surface area: 100 acres.
Malaga Lake is a 100-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Gloucester County, Malaga Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Malaga Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, metals (other than mercury), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Malaga 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 Malaga Lake
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Malaga 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 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 110 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 29.2 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 110µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 29.2µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Malaga Lake
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Lake Details
Surface area
100 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Malaga Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Malaga Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Malaga Lake in Gloucester County, New Jersey — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Malaga Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Malaga Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Malaga Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Malaga Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Scotland Run; earth-type dam, 22 ft tall and 11,625 ft long.
- Surface area
- 100 ac
- Normal storage
- 800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 29.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- NJDOT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00443 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Malaga 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, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NJ02040206130040-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Gloucester County
Frequently asked questions about Malaga Lake
Where is Malaga Lake?
- Malaga Lake is a lake in Gloucester County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Malaga Lake?
- Malaga Lake in Gloucester County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 110 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.2 µg/L. Surface area: 100 acres.
Is Malaga Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Malaga Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, metals (other than mercury), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Malaga Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
43 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM43 samples · 2024
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