Santuit Pond
Barnstable County, Massachusetts165 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 28 ft max depth
- Limited data
Santuit Pond in Barnstable County, Massachusetts is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 52.4 µg/L. Surface area: 165 acres.
- Max depth
- ~28 ft est.
- Area
- 165 acres
- Chlorophyll-a
- 52.4 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Watch Santuit Pond’s letter
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Why Santuit Pond has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Santuit Pond, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded algae (chlorophyll-a), but not water clarity and phosphorus.
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by MassDEP and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Santuit Pond is a 165-acre lake in Barnstable County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2020-08-31. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Santuit Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, biotoxins, habitat alterations, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Santuit Pond
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 52.4 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 52.4 µg/L | Not graded |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 69 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~28 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~12 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 165 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Massachusetts has not published bathymetry for Santuit Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Santuit Pond
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +17.11 µg/L/yr | 3 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Santuit Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Santuit Pond Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Santuit River; earth-type dam, 8 ft tall and 330 ft long.
- Surface area
- 165 ac
- Normal storage
- 375 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 870 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.53 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Town of Mashpee
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA02445 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Santuit Pond is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MA96277 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Santuit Pond
Santuit Pond has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Barnstable County
Frequently asked questions about Santuit Pond
Where is Santuit Pond?
- Santuit Pond is a lake in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Santuit Pond?
- Santuit Pond in Barnstable County, Massachusetts is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 52.4 µg/L. Surface area: 165 acres.
Is Santuit Pond safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Santuit Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, biotoxins, habitat alterations, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Santuit Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Santuit Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 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 165 acres.
Explore Santuit Pond across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Cape Cod?
Santuit Pond is about 28 miles from Cape Cod National Seashore. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Cape Cod →More Massachusetts Lake Rankings
Other Lakes in Massachusetts
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Massachusetts Water Science Center
USGS-MA1 sample · 2020
Analytical methods
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)