Oquaga Lake
Broome County, New York134 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)
- 29 ft max depth
- Limited data
Oquaga Lake in Broome County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 26.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 134 acres.
- Clarity
- 26.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~29 ft est.
- Area
- 134 acres
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Watch Oquaga Lake’s letter
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Why Oquaga Lake has no grade
Oquaga 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, Oquaga Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 26.2-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.
Oquaga Lake is a 134-acre lake in Broome County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 29 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-13. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Oquaga Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water26.2 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Oquaga 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 Oquaga Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Crystal clear, you can see 26.2 ft down. TSI 30.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 26.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 30 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~29 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~21 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 134 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 Oquaga 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 Oquaga Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Oquaga Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Oquaga Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation on the STARBOARD CREEK; concrete-type dam, 7 ft tall and 33 ft long.
- Surface area
- 134 ac
- Normal storage
- 168 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 838 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- G HOLDREGE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NY01479 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Oquaga 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 NY1404-0033 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.09 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
7 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Oquaga Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Sanford (T) - Oquaga Lake StpDeposit · 0.9 mi away · NPDES NY0110795Recent violation
- Deposit (V) WpcpDeposit · 3.1 mi away · NPDES NY0029211Recent violation
- Reddon Ghost Mtn QuarrySusquehanna · 4.8 mi away · NPDES PA0226289Recent violation
- Superior Plus Energy Services (Deposit)Deposit · 2.4 mi away · NPDES NY0244384
- Coleman Sherman QuarrySusquehanna · 2.8 mi away · NPDES PA0225045
- Cox 1 Stevens Point QuarrySusquehanna · 4 mi away · NPDES PA0225363
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 Broome County
Frequently asked questions about Oquaga Lake
Where is Oquaga Lake?
- Oquaga Lake is a lake in Broome 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 Oquaga Lake?
- Oquaga Lake in Broome County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 26.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 134 acres.
Is Oquaga Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Oquaga 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 Oquaga Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Oquaga Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 29 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 134 acres.
Explore Oquaga Lake across LakeQuality
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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)