Side Pistol Lake
Hancock County, MaineView mapDirections
Maine DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Side Pistol Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
Side Pistol Lake in Hancock County, Maine has water-quality measurements published by Maine DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L.
Side Pistol Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Hancock County, Maine. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Hancock County, Side Pistol Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Side Pistol Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.7 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Side Pistol Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Side Pistol Lake
These are the measurements Maine DEP publishes for Side Pistol Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16.7 ft down. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Side Pistol Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Side Pistol Lake
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Fishing Side Pistol Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.5 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.32 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Hancock County
Frequently asked questions about Side Pistol Lake
Where is Side Pistol Lake?
- Side Pistol Lake is a lake in Hancock County, Maine. Its water-quality measurements are published by Maine DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Side Pistol Lake?
- Side Pistol Lake in Hancock County, Maine has water-quality measurements published by Maine DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L.
Is Side Pistol Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Side Pistol Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Maine
Other Lakes in Maine
Mesotrophic Lakes in Maine
Where this data comes from
81 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples81 samples · 2020–2024
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.