Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection (MADEP): lake water chemistry , 2005-2010

This database contains anion, nutrient, and secchi data collected by MA DEP for assessment
of water quality in MA lakes. Data spans 2005-2010. The ultimate goal of the MassDEP is to
implement a comprehensive monitoring program (status/assessment, trends and flows, and targeted)
that serves all water quality management needs, and addresses streams, rivers, lakes,
reservoirs, estuaries, coastal areas, wetlands, and groundwater. The five-year rotating
watershed assessment program is currently the primary means of meeting the CWA objective related
to assessing the status of designated uses. Requirements for the monitoring program designed to
support watershed assessments, reflecting CWA mandates, are that it be statewide in scale,
comprehensive (all water bodies in the Commonwealth are assessed), and repeated at regular
intervals. Water quality surveys generally consist of five sampling events interspersed
throughout the water recreation season for conventional water quality analyses such as pH,
dissolved oxygen, suspended and total dissolved solids, nutrients, and fecal coliform
bacteria.