The Cleanest and Dirtiest Lakes In America Are In New York State

Some of the most beautiful places in America are right here in New York State. From the majestic Niagara Falls to the concrete jungle known as the Big Apple, other states in the US envy the things that we take for granted every day.

However, everything in New York isn't beautiful and amazing. Due to years of industry and neglect, there are also plenty of places that most people would like to quietly ignore in the state. Let's not forget that the Buffalo River was once so dirty that it caught on fire before.

That dichotomy is often one of the most interesting things about calling the Empire State home.

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Case in point, AZ Animals recently published a few articles that ranked the top 10 Cleanest and 10 Dirtiest lakes in America, and guess what state found itself at the top and both of those lists?

New York Has The Cleanest Lake In America

Sitting just north of Albany, New York, on the southern end of Adirondack State Park, Lake George has the distinction of being the cleanest lake in the entire United States of America.

The waters of Lake George are a deep blue color and routinely attract thousands of visitors to it every year. That's one of the reasons why it's considered the Queen of American Lakes.

New York Also Has The Dirtiest Lake In America

For as beautiful as Lake George is, if you travel just 150 miles to the west you will find Onondaga Lake which sits just northwest of Syracuse, New York which is considered the most polluted lake in all of America.

Onondaga Lake has been considered one of the dirtiest bodies of water in America for many years. For several years of its history raw sewage and trash were just thrown into the lake. Swimming has been banned on Onondaga Lake since 1940, and fishing was outlawed in 1970.

In the whole world, there is only one lake that is considered dirtier than Onondaga Lake and that is Lake Karachay; which is located in the Ural Mountains region of central Russia and was used as a nuclear and radioactive waste dump during the 1950s.