West Pond
Herkimer County, New YorkView mapDirections
NY DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for West Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- 29 ft max depth
West Pond in Herkimer County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L.
West Pond is a mesotrophic lake in Herkimer County, New York with an estimated average depth of about 29 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Herkimer County, West Pond ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NYSDEC, last sampled 2023-09-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. West Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether West Pond 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 West Pond
These are the measurements NY DEC publishes for West Pond, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.3 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.3µg/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. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about West Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
West Pond typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 75°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Feb (about 34°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (34°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 32 field readings (2017–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full West Pond water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~29 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. New York has not published bathymetry for West Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
40 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,896 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
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Stays near West Pond
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Fishing West Pond
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.95 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.5 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
West Pond 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NY0801-0050 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Herkimer County
Frequently asked questions about West Pond
Where is West Pond?
- West Pond is a lake in Herkimer 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 West Pond?
- West Pond in Herkimer County, New York has water-quality measurements published by NY DEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.3 µg/L.
Is West Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. West Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of West Pond?
- West Pond typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 32 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is West Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers West Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 29 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
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Where this data comes from
39 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS New York Water Science Center
USGS-NY39 samples · 2020–2023
Analytical methods
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Chlorophyll a,fluorometric,uncor
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)