Upper Artichoke Reservoir
Essex County, Massachusetts131 acresView mapDirections
MassDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Upper Artichoke Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 26 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Upper Artichoke Reservoir in Essex County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.2 µg/L. Surface area: 130.7 acres.
Upper Artichoke Reservoir is a 131-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Essex County, Massachusetts with an estimated average depth of about 26 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Essex County, Upper Artichoke Reservoir ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, MassDEP, last sampled 2017-09-21. 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 Upper Artichoke Reservoir 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 Upper Artichoke Reservoir
These are the measurements MassDEP publishes for Upper Artichoke Reservoir, 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 29.2 µg/L. TSI 64.
| 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) | 29.2µg/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. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Upper Artichoke Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~26 ft est.
Surface area
131 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 Upper Artichoke Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
26 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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Stays near Upper Artichoke Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Artichoke Reservoir in Essex 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 Upper Artichoke Reservoir are listed below.
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Fishing Upper Artichoke Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Upper Artichoke Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Upper Artichoke Reservoir Dam (completed 1920), built primarily for water supply on the Artichoke River; concrete-type dam, 15 ft tall and 200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 130.7 ac
- Normal storage
- 800 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,494 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- City of Newburyport
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MA00189 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Essex County
Frequently asked questions about Upper Artichoke Reservoir
Where is Upper Artichoke Reservoir?
- Upper Artichoke Reservoir is a lake in Essex County, Massachusetts. Its water-quality measurements are published by MassDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Upper Artichoke Reservoir?
- Upper Artichoke Reservoir in Essex County, Massachusetts has water-quality measurements published by MassDEP, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.2 µg/L. Surface area: 130.7 acres.
Is Upper Artichoke Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Upper Artichoke Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Upper Artichoke Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 26 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 130.7 acres.
Can I fish at Upper Artichoke Reservoir?
- Public access to Upper Artichoke Reservoir 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, 2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)
MASSDEP3 samples · 2017
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)