Canandaigua Lake

Waterbody Assessment	Trophic State	HABs Frequency	Invasive Species
Download Assessment Here	Oligotrophic	Frequent Blooms	Invasives Reported

Summary

How to read this report:

This goal of this report is to answer the common question, “How is Canandaigua Lake doing?” As there is more than one way to answer this question, the report has been broken down into six sections, described below, to give a comprehensive understanding of the waterbody’s condition.

For a detailed summary of the data sources and analyses used to generate this report, see the 2023 Lake Reports Data Sources and Analyses.

For information on water ecology, monitoring, and management throughout New York State, see Diet for a Small Lake: The Expanded Guide to New York State Lake and Watershed Management.

Evaluated Data

New York State lakes are classified to reflect their best uses (e.g., water supply, recreation, and/or fishing) and data are evaluated against water quality standards to determine if water quality conditions support these best uses. The assessment of the lake is published in the waterbody segment factsheet and the select data used to derive this evaluation are reported in the Evaluated Data tab of this report.

Trophic State

Trophic state refers to the overall biological productivity of a waterbody. Very productive waterbodies can have plants, animals, and/or algae that grow to nuisance levels. Therefore, trophic state is a measure of lake water quality used worldwide. The trophic parameters are reported in this tab and contextualized with trend calculations and statewide distribution plots.

HABs

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are a concern in freshwater systems worldwide. Several types of HABs also have the ability to produce toxins which can pose health risks. Exposure to any HABs can cause health effects in people and animals. This is true regardless of toxin levels. This tab summarizes the occurrence and frequency of public HAB reports to NYHABS on this waterbody.

Invasive Species

Introduced, non-native organisms can pose a nuisance to human use and/or harm ecosystem health of a waterbody. This tab provides a comprehensive list of invasive species, reported to iMapInvasives, for this waterbody.

Depth Profile

A depth profile is a set of in-situ measurements collected vertically at the deepest point of the waterbody. Depth profiles are a valuable tool used to understand how conditions change with depth. Vertical profile plots are given in this tab for each profile parameter collected in this waterbody.

Other Parameters

Additional parameters are analyzed in order to understand properties of the waterbody that aren’t related to the topics above. These may include other nutrients, minerals, and salt that do not have applicable water quality standards. Results from these parameters are reported in this tab and contextualized.

Data

All data available for this waterbody are reported in the Data tab. The first table provides a comprehensive list of all the locations that have been sampled. The second table provides the parameter data collected at these locations. Finally, the third table provides a complete list of public HAB reports for this waterbody.

Evaluated Data

Each lake in New York State is classified to reflect the best uses of the lake. The NYSDEC water quality assessment determines whether these best uses are being supported by the lake’s water quality conditions. The lake’s assessment is published in the waterbody segment factsheet . Assessments are updated during even years and the most recent published assessment considers data collected 2014-2024. Data collected after 2024 are not reflected in this tab.

The following plots display the NYSDEC data evaluated according to the (NYS Water Quality Standards). These evaluations are used to determine the waterbody assessment according to the (Consolidated Assessment and Listing Methodology).

How to read these plots: Each circle represents a single observation on the waterbody, unless labeled annually averaged. Black points are excursions of the Water Quality Standards and grey points are not. The plots are split into four sections for each parameter; from left to right: the first section shows annual data; the next section shows seasonal data; the next section shows the statewide distribution with the median for this lake displayed as a horizontal bar; the last section of text explains the legend for that plot, a brief description of the parameter, the median measurement, and a decadal trend statement. Asterisks indicate statistical significance (p<0.05). The title on the y axis, tells which group each parameter belongs to. The x-axis describes the year of observation on the left, and the month on the right. The parameters sampled may vary from year to year depending on the focus of the sampling program.

Source of Water Supply

The NYSDEC data collected to evaluate the source of water supply use are reported here. Parameters sampled by NYSDEC to evaluate this use are salt parameters (chloride), total metals (arsenic, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickel as well as hardness for specific standards calculations), minerals (sulfate), and other nutrient parameters (ammonia, Total Nitrate Nitrite dissolved solids) according to SOP 203. Although this is the standard sampling suite used by NYSDEC, it is not a comprehensive list of all possible parameters with Health (Water Source) and Aesthetic (Water Source) water quality standards applicable to source of water supply use. Consult your local health department with any specific questions.