Hamilton Reservoir
Hampden County, Massachusetts400 acresView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Hamilton Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Nuisance exotic species
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Hamilton Reservoir in Hampden County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3 µg/L. Surface area: 400 acres.
Hamilton Reservoir is a 400-acre mesotrophic lake in Hampden County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Hampden County, Hamilton Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2016-08-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hamilton Reservoir covers about 400 acres in Hampden County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Hamilton Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Hamilton Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Hamilton Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hamilton 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 Hamilton Reservoir
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for Hamilton 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 3 µg/L. TSI 41.
| 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) | 3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hamilton Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~46 ft est.
Surface area
400 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 Hamilton Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
15 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
696 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.
Recreation & Access
- Hamilton ReservoirPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hamilton Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hamilton Reservoir in Hampden County, Massachusetts — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Hamilton Reservoir
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Fishing Hamilton Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hamilton Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hamilton Reservoir Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Quinebaug River; earth-type dam, 17 ft tall and 300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 400 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,918 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17.95 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Holland
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00536 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hamilton Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4C).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA41019 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hampden County
Frequently asked questions about Hamilton Reservoir
Where is Hamilton Reservoir?
- Hamilton Reservoir is a lake in Hampden County, Massachusetts. Its water-quality measurements are published by MassDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hamilton Reservoir?
- Hamilton Reservoir in Hampden County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3 µg/L. Surface area: 400 acres.
Is Hamilton Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hamilton Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hamilton Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hamilton Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 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 400 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Hamilton Reservoir?
- Hamilton Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hamilton Reservoir. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hamilton Reservoir?
- Hamilton Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Explore Hamilton Reservoir 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)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory