East Brimfield Reservoir
Worcester County, Massachusetts360 acresView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for East Brimfield Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 49 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
East Brimfield Reservoir in Worcester County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Surface area: 360 acres.
East Brimfield Reservoir is a 360-acre mesotrophic lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 49 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 23 other monitored lakes in Worcester County, East Brimfield Reservoir ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2016-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. East Brimfield Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether East Brimfield Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for East Brimfield Reservoir
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for East Brimfield Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 5.9 µg/L. TSI 48.
| 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 | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.9µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about East Brimfield Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~49 ft est.
Surface area
360 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by MassDEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Massachusetts has not published bathymetry for East Brimfield Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
65 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
643 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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Fishing East Brimfield Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
East Brimfield Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the East Brimfield Dam (completed 1960), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Quinebaug River; rockfill-type dam, 53 ft tall and 520 ft long.
- Surface area
- 360 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 71,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 68 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - New England District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00966 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
East Brimfield Reservoir 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, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA41014 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Worcester County
Frequently asked questions about East Brimfield Reservoir
Where is East Brimfield Reservoir?
- East Brimfield Reservoir is a lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Its water-quality measurements are published by MassDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of East Brimfield Reservoir?
- East Brimfield Reservoir in Worcester County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Surface area: 360 acres.
Is East Brimfield Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. East Brimfield Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is East Brimfield Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers East Brimfield Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 49 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 360 acres.
Can I fish at East Brimfield Reservoir?
- Public access to East Brimfield Reservoir is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Massachusetts's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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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)
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)