Bare Hill Pond
Worcester County, Massachusetts324 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #3 of 24 in the county
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Bare Hill Pond in Worcester County, Massachusetts has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 324 acres.
- Max depth
- ~45 ft est.
- Area
- 324 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2.1 µg/L
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Watch Bare Hill Pond’s letter
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Bare Hill Pond is a 324-acre mesotrophic lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 1 sampling years through 2016. Compared to the 23 other monitored lakes in Worcester County, Bare Hill Pond ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2016-09-27. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Bare Hill Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, mercury, noxious aquatic plants, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 38. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.1 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 38 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~45 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~21 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 324 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Massachusetts has not published bathymetry for Bare Hill Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Bare Hill Pond
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bare Hill Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bare Hill Pond Dam (completed 1837), built primarily for recreation on the Bowers Brook; earth-type dam, 9 ft tall and 278 ft long.
- Surface area
- 324 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,292 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.81 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Town of Harvard
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00822 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Bare Hill Pond is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA81007 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #3 of 24 lakes in Worcester County
Nearby Lakes in Worcester County
Frequently asked questions about Bare Hill Pond
Where is Bare Hill Pond?
- Bare Hill Pond is a lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Bare Hill Pond?
- Bare Hill Pond in Worcester County, Massachusetts has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 324 acres.
Is Bare Hill Pond safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Bare Hill Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, mercury, noxious aquatic plants, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bare Hill Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bare Hill Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 324 acres.
Explore Bare Hill Pond across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
MASSDEP3 samples · 2016
Analytical methods
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)