Muddy Brook Lake
Worcester County, Massachusetts69 acresView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Muddy Brook Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Muddy Brook Lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.8 µg/L. Surface area: 69 acres.
Muddy Brook Lake is a 69-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 23 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 23 other monitored lakes in Worcester County, Muddy Brook Lake ranks #20 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2016-09-13. 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. Muddy Brook Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Muddy Brook 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 Muddy Brook Lake
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for Muddy Brook 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 13.8 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) | 13.8µg/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 Muddy Brook Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~23 ft est.
Surface area
69 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 Muddy Brook Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
476 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 Muddy Brook Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Muddy Brook Lake in Worcester 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 Muddy Brook Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Muddy Brook Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Muddy Brook Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hardwick Pond Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Muddy Brook; earth-type dam, 8 ft tall and 121 ft long.
- Surface area
- 69 ac
- Normal storage
- 214 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 321 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 15.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Town of Ware
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00080 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.97 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Muddy Brook Lake 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA36066 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Worcester County
Frequently asked questions about Muddy Brook Lake
Where is Muddy Brook Lake?
- Muddy Brook 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 Muddy Brook Lake?
- Muddy Brook Lake in Worcester County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.8 µg/L. Surface area: 69 acres.
Is Muddy Brook Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Muddy Brook Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Muddy Brook Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Muddy Brook Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 23 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 69 acres.
Can I fish at Muddy Brook Lake?
- Public access to Muddy Brook 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
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)