Sunset Lake
Cumberland County, New Jersey94 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Sunset Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- Public access
- Limited data
Sunset Lake in Cumberland County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 32.9 µg/L. Surface area: 94 acres.
Sunset Lake is a 94-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Cumberland County, New Jersey. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Cumberland County, Sunset Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-11-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Sunset Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sunset 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 Sunset Lake
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Sunset Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 32.9 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 60µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 32.9µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 67 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Sunset Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
94 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NJDEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Sunset Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sunset Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sunset Lake in Cumberland County, New Jersey — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Sunset Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Sunset Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sunset Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sunset Lake Dam (completed 1927), built primarily for recreation on the Cohansey River; earth-type dam, 20 ft tall and 6,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 94 ac
- Normal storage
- 310 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 45.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- County of Cumberland
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00063 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Sunset 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 NJ02040206080050-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cumberland County
Frequently asked questions about Sunset Lake
Where is Sunset Lake?
- Sunset Lake is a lake in Cumberland County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sunset Lake?
- Sunset Lake in Cumberland County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 32.9 µg/L. Surface area: 94 acres.
Is Sunset Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sunset Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown), mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Sunset Lake?
- Public access to Sunset Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
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Where this data comes from
47 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM47 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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