Lower Spectacle Pond
Berkshire County, Massachusetts70 acresView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lower Spectacle Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Lower Spectacle Pond in Berkshire County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.7 µg/L. Surface area: 70 acres.
Lower Spectacle Pond is a 70-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Berkshire County, Lower Spectacle Pond ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2016-09-22. 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lower Spectacle 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 Lower Spectacle Pond
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for Lower Spectacle 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 12.7 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) | 12.7µg/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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lower Spectacle Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
70 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lower Spectacle Pond, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lower Spectacle Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lower Spectacle Pond in Berkshire 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 Lower Spectacle Pond are listed below.
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Fishing Lower Spectacle Pond
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lower Spectacle Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lower Spectacle Pond Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Tributary to Clam River; earth-type dam, 11 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 70 ac
- Normal storage
- 280 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 928 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MA Department of Conservation and Recreation
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00290 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Berkshire County
Frequently asked questions about Lower Spectacle Pond
Where is Lower Spectacle Pond?
- Lower Spectacle Pond is a lake in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Its water-quality measurements are published by MassDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lower Spectacle Pond?
- Lower Spectacle Pond in Berkshire County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.7 µg/L. Surface area: 70 acres.
Is Lower Spectacle Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Lower Spectacle 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)
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.