Upstate New York Is Home to the Second Cleanest Lake in the USA

Did you know that one of the cleanest lakes in the entire United States is located right in the Finger Lakes Region?

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I once heard someone say that they won’t swim in lakes because the water tends to be murky and they can’t see the bottom which completely creeps them out. However, I imagine they might change their mind about lake swimming if they were to visit one Finger Lakes Region lake.

Skaneateles Lake has long had a reputation for being one of the cleanest New York lakes and as a matter of fact, it is!

Travel Lemming put together a list of the 21 cleanest lakes in New York of course, Skaneateles Lake landed on the lake along with others such as Owasco Lake which is also part of the Finger Lakes, and Lake George which is located in the Adirondacks.

People wonder though, how is Skaneateles Lake so pristinely clear. Well, the answer lies in science. According to SkaneatelesLake.org, “Skaneateles Lake is classified as 'oligotrophic', or a lake with low productivity due to low levels of nutrients.” What this means is that the low levels of nutrients actually help keep algae and other vegetation at a minimum and without those, the water is able to remain clear and transparent.

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Need more proof of the quality of water in Skaneateles Lake? The water is so pure that the city of Syracuse among other municipalities actually uses it unfiltered! Keeping Skaneateles Lake in top shape takes effort though. And, money. The City of Syracuse spends roughly $2 million a year to protect the quality of the lake which includes a group of 16 lake inspectors.

Skaneateles Lake is the second cleanest lake in the United States only behind Crater Lake which is located in Oregon. Quite impressive!