Indian Lake
Worcester County, Massachusetts233 acresView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Indian Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Indian Lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.8 µg/L. Surface area: 233 acres.
Indian Lake is a 233-acre lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2018-07-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Indian Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Indian Lake 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 Indian Lake
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for Indian Lake, 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 12.8 µg/L. TSI 56.
| 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) | 12.8µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Indian Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Surface area
233 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 Indian Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
538 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 Indian Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Indian Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Indian Lake Dam (completed 1920), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Tributary to Weasel Brook; earth-type dam, 17 ft tall and 370 ft long.
- Surface area
- 233 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,800 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.64 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- MA Department of Transportation
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00125 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Indian Lake 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, Recreation, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA51073 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Worcester County
Frequently asked questions about Indian Lake
Where is Indian Lake?
- Indian Lake 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 Indian Lake?
- Indian Lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.8 µg/L. Surface area: 233 acres.
Is Indian Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Indian Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Indian Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Indian Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 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 233 acres.
Can I fish at Indian Lake?
- Public access to Indian Lake 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
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
MASSDEP1 sample · 2018
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)