Lake water quality degradation has been apparent for decades, especially in those lakes situated in the vicinity of cities which have anthropogenic activities. The present investigation was carried out for determining the various physico-chemical and biological characteristics of surface water quality of various lakes at Coimbatore, India. The sampling points were selected on the basis of their importance. Six sampling locations namely at Perur Lake (L 1 ), Selvachinthamani Lake (L 2 ), Ukkadam Lake (L 3 ), Kurichi Lake (L 4 ), Valankulam Lake (L 5 ), and Singanallur Lake (L 6 ) were selected and water samples were collected mostly from open wells in and around Coimbatore district. The physico-chemical parameters like Dissolved oxygen, Faecal coliforms, pH, Electrical conductivity, Biochemical oxygen demand, Chemical oxygen demand, Turbidity, Total dissolved solids, Sulphate, Nitrate, Phosphate, Chlorides and Alkalinity were analyzed. The results suggested that, the lake water samples collected from various sites in and around Coimbatore citywere above the limits of WHO standards.