Heart Pond
Middlesex County, MassachusettsView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Heart Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 42 ft max depth
- Limited data
Heart Pond in Middlesex County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L.
Heart Pond is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Middlesex County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Compared to the 10 other monitored lakes in Middlesex County, Heart Pond ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2017-08-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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. Heart Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, noxious aquatic plants, nuisance exotic species, pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Heart Pond 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 Heart Pond
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for Heart Pond, 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 14.6 µg/L. TSI 57.
| 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) | 14.6µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Heart Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Massachusetts has not published bathymetry for Heart Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
86 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
203 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Heart Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Heart Pond in Middlesex 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Heart Pond are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Heart Pond
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Massachusetts’s top lakes →
Follow Heart Pond’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Heart Pond
EPA Impairment Status
Heart Pond is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA82059 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Middlesex County
Frequently asked questions about Heart Pond
Where is Heart Pond?
- Heart Pond is a lake in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Its water-quality measurements are published by MassDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Heart Pond?
- Heart Pond in Middlesex County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L.
Is Heart Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Heart Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, noxious aquatic plants, nuisance exotic species, pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Heart Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Heart Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Heart Pond across LakeQuality
More lakes in Massachusetts
Other Lakes in Massachusetts
Eutrophic Lakes in Massachusetts
Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
MASSDEP3 samples · 2017
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)