Owasco Lake
Cayuga County, New YorkView 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 · Pathogens (E. coli, fecal)
- Limited data
Owasco Lake in Cayuga County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 11 ft
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Watch Owasco Lake’s letter
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Why Owasco Lake has no grade
Owasco 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, Owasco Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 11-foot median from 7 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.
Owasco Lake is a lake in Cayuga County, New York.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-15. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Owasco Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Not ratedBacteria advisory
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Owasco Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Owasco Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 11 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 43 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Jul 6, 2026, 5:00 AM from gauge 04235396 (Owasco Lake Near Auburn NY). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Owasco Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Fishing Owasco Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Owasco 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 NY0706-0009 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Owasco Lake
Owasco Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Cayuga County
Frequently asked questions about Owasco Lake
Where is Owasco Lake?
- Owasco Lake is a lake in Cayuga 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 Owasco Lake?
- Owasco Lake in Cayuga County, New York is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility.
Is Owasco Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Owasco Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water level at Owasco Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Owasco Lake is 712.4 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Jul 6, 2026, 5:00 AM at gauge 04235396. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Explore Owasco Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 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
NALMS7 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