Abstract: The spatial distribution characteristics and degree of chromium pollution in 33 sediment samples collected in 2007 in different functional districts of ten medium-small size lakes in Dongting Lake Plain were evaluated. The samples included 29 superficial sediment samples and four cores samples. The results showed that the concentrations of chromium in the superficial sediments were arranged in the order: Yueyangnanhu Lake>Datong Lake>Shanpo Lake>Dong Lake>Huanggai Lake>Anle Lake>Beimin Lake>Liuye Lake>Maoli Lake>Bajiao Lake, and were generally higher than the environmental background levels. Among different lakes, the samples showed different fluctuation tendencies of the content of chromium in the sediment cores from the bottom to the surface in the vertical direction. Our findings also suggested that the decreasing order of the degree of chromium pollution in the lake sediments based on the type of lake was as follows: urban lakes>fertilizer breeding lakes>non-fertilizer breeding lakes. Results of integrated indexing of geoaccumulation showed that the chromium pollution in the sediments from medium-small size lake groups in Dongting Lake Plain were at a low level: ten points in four lakes for the degree of pollution level Ⅱ, 18 points in nine lakes for the level Ⅰ, and one point for the level 0.