City of Worcester, MA

WORCESTER, Mass. – The City of Worcester Department of Sustainability and Resilience is advising residents of the refill of Indian Lake and Lake Quinsigamond. The lakes will be slowly refilled to their normal height after the winter drawdown, ending around April 1, 2026. The water level will be increased two to three inches per day until the level reaches normal pool by no later than April 1.

Water level drawdowns are a lake management practice used to reduce the density of invasive and nuisance aquatic plants by exposing them to the winter elements. This proposal has been subject to public hearings and is approved by the Conservation Commissions in Worcester, Grafton, and Shrewsbury and the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection. 

The exposed bank and bottom of the lakes are a protected resource under the Wetlands Protection Act and the filling or dredging of the lake bottom is prohibited. Homeowner care should be given to docks and shoreline structures to prevent damage from flowing ice. 

The Indian Lake drawdown is administered by the City of Worcester and the Lake Quinsigamond drawdown is administered by the Lake Quinsigamond Commission. 

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