Palmer Lake
Putnam County, New YorkView mapDirections
NY DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Palmer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Palmer Lake in Putnam County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility.
Palmer Lake is a lake in Putnam County, New York.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2020-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Palmer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Palmer Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the New York Department of Environmental Conservation and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Palmer Lake
These are the measurements NY DEC publishes for Palmer 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. TSI 59.
| 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 | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Palmer Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Palmer Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY1302-0103 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
11 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Palmer Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 5 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Carmel (T) Sd#2 WwtpCarmel · 1.6 mi away · NPDES NY0031356MajorRecent violation
- Hill Sparrow WwtpCarmel · 0.4 mi away · NPDES NY0165719Recent violation
- Hunter'S Glen WwtpCarmel · 1.5 mi away · NPDES NY0165531Recent violation
- Carmel Terminals IncCarmel · 1.9 mi away · NPDES NY0235083Recent violation
- Nyse&G Corp Brewster Service CtrSoutheast Center (Historical) · 2.6 mi away · NPDES NY0219401Recent violation
- Carmel Bp Remediation ProjectCarmel · 1 mi away · NPDES NY0234508
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 Putnam County
Frequently asked questions about Palmer Lake
Where is Palmer Lake?
- Palmer Lake is a lake in Putnam County, New York. Its water-quality measurements are published by NY DEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Palmer Lake?
- Palmer Lake in Putnam County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility.
Is Palmer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Palmer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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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)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)