The Indian Lake Watershed Association, in cooperation with The City of Worcester, has contracted with Aquatic Control Technology to conduct a treatment of Indian Lake with copper sulfate. The goal of the treatment is eradicate current algae blooming in the lake.

The water sample collected on August 10th shows blue-greens at 27,000 cells per milliliter. Restrictions for human activity are put in place by the state at 70,000 cells per ml. While this sample shows levels still well below the state limit, we are taking a proactive approach. Algae levels will continue to be monitored following the treatment.

On Friday, August 21st, Indian lake will be CLOSED due to this chemical treatment. All use of the lake will be prohibited including boating, fishing, swimming and irrigation.

The lake will re-open on Saturday.

This chemical treatment is being applied by Aquatic Control Technology, a licensed environmental management company with extensive knowledge of Indian Lake. It is conducted pursuant to a permit issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MASSDEP) and an order of conditions issued by the Worcester Conservation Commission.

The cost of this treatment is being covered by the City of Worcester thanks to the efforts of Amanda Wilson of the City's Inspectional Services Division, District 1 Councilor Tony Economou and City Manager Augustus. The City is also covering the cost of the weekly algae testing.

Donated funds were used to cover the cost of the May alum treatment and June copper treatment totaling nearly $30,000. 

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to the ILWA so that we can continue doing everything possible to keep the lake open until larger improvement projects can move forwad. Donations can be mailed to: ILWA, PO Box 60244, Worcester, MA 01606. 

Many folks have asked "Do we have algae?". YES we have algae. In fact, pretty much every single lake has some algae. There are hundreds of different types and very few are harmful. In fact, blue green algae, such as what was discovered in Indian Lake last year, is not guaranteed to be harmful. It can produce toxins as it's dying. That lifecycle can happen at any time which is why the lake remained closed for so long last year. Excessive levels of blue green were detected last year but very few samples indicated the presence of toxins.

That all said, algae testing is not a requirement for a public lake. It is very expensive and there is no way to get immediate results. It is sent to a lab and typically takes several days for a full analysis.

At our request, the City of Worcester has funded algae testing for Indian Lake this year. This began several weeks ago and although there is algae is in the lake, the numbers thus far have remained very low.

We have a new email address! Please direct questions and concerns to [email protected].