Sodus Bay Lake
Wayne County, New YorkView mapDirections
NY DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Sodus Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Sodus Bay Lake in Wayne County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11.7 µg/L.
Sodus Bay Lake is a lake in Wayne County, New York. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2023-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sodus Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sodus Bay 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 Sodus Bay Lake
These are the measurements NY DEC publishes for Sodus Bay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.1 ft. Phosphorus 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 11.7 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 24µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 11.7µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sodus Bay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Sodus Bay Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Sodus Bay 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: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY0302-0020 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Sodus Bay Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Sodus Point (V) WwtpSodus Point · 1.4 mi away · NPDES NY0028088MajorRecent violation
- Sodus (V) StpSodus · 4.4 mi away · NPDES NY0021482Recent violation
- Sodus Bulk PlantSodus · 3.8 mi away · NPDES NY0107735
- Village Of Sodus Lake Water Treatment PlantSodus · 4.5 mi away · NPDES NY0246832
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 Wayne County
Frequently asked questions about Sodus Bay Lake
Where is Sodus Bay Lake?
- Sodus Bay Lake is a lake in Wayne 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 Sodus Bay Lake?
- Sodus Bay Lake in Wayne County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11.7 µg/L.
Is Sodus Bay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sodus Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS New York Water Science Center
USGS-NY18 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
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)