Watchu Pond
Sussex County, New Jersey21 acresView mapDirections
NJDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Watchu Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- Limited data
Watchu Pond in Sussex County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.6 µg/L. Surface area: 21 acres.
Watchu Pond is a 21-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Sussex County, New Jersey. Compared to the 17 other monitored lakes in Sussex County, Watchu Pond ranks #15 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Watchu Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), oxygen depletion (low DO), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pH / acidity, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Watchu Pond 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 Watchu Pond
These are the measurements NJDEP publishes for Watchu Pond, 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 5.6 ft. Phosphorus 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 16.6 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 29.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 16.6µg/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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Watchu Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
21 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Watchu Pond, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Watchu Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Watchu Pond in Sussex 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 Watchu Pond are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Watchu Pond
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Fishing Watchu Pond
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Watchu Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Reservoir Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation; earth-type dam, 12 ft tall and 370 ft long.
- Surface area
- 21 ac
- Normal storage
- 126 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 147 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.55 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Patriots' Path Council, B.S.A
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NJ00897 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.02 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Watchu Pond 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: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NJ02040105150080-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sussex County
Frequently asked questions about Watchu Pond
Where is Watchu Pond?
- Watchu Pond is a lake in Sussex County, New Jersey. Its water-quality measurements are published by NJDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Watchu Pond?
- Watchu Pond in Sussex County, New Jersey has water-quality measurements published by NJDEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.6 µg/L. Surface area: 21 acres.
Is Watchu Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Watchu Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), oxygen depletion (low DO), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pH / acidity, temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
19 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- NJDEP Bureau of Freshwater and Biological Monitoring
NJDEP_BFBM19 samples · 2021–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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