Pohatcong Lake
Ocean County, New Jersey37 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Pohatcong Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Pohatcong Lake in Ocean County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Surface area: 37 acres.
Pohatcong Lake is a 37-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Ocean County, New Jersey. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Ocean County, Pohatcong Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-11-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pohatcong Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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. Pohatcong Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pohatcong 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 Pohatcong Lake
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Pohatcong 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 4.6 ft. Phosphorus 9.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.8 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 43 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Pohatcong Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
37 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NJDEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Pohatcong Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- a marinaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Pohatcong Lake
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Fishing Pohatcong Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pohatcong Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pohatcong Lake Dam (completed 1931), built primarily for recreation on the Tuckerton Creek; earth-type dam, 9 ft tall and 670 ft long.
- Surface area
- 37 ac
- Normal storage
- 87 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 12.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- NJDOT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00504 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Pohatcong 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NJ02040301140030-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Ocean County
Frequently asked questions about Pohatcong Lake
Where is Pohatcong Lake?
- Pohatcong Lake is a lake in Ocean County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pohatcong Lake?
- Pohatcong Lake in Ocean County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Surface area: 37 acres.
Is Pohatcong Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pohatcong Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Pohatcong Lake?
- Pohatcong Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include a marina. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pohatcong Lake?
- Pohatcong Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by New Jersey's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Pohatcong Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
50 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM50 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory