Chittenden County Lake Quality
Vermont, 13 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Chittenden County has 13 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 8 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Chittenden County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average as the inverse.
The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the grades sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest lake on the books is Malletts Bay Lake (A); the most-stressed is Shelburne Pond (F).
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Quick Answers for Chittenden County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Malletts Bay Lake — or check the official Vermont fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Chittenden County
13 lakes · 8 graded, 5 not rated8 graded lakes · 5 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMalletts Bay LakeChittenden | A | 13.8 ft | 10.2 µg/L | 4 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | CBurlington Bay LakeChittenden | C | 14.8 ft | 11.1 µg/L | 4.7 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | CIndian Brook ReservoirChittenden | C | 12.1 ft | 21.3 µg/L | 6.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 4 | CLake IroquoisChittenden | C | 11.8 ft | 19.1 µg/L | 8.4 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 5 | CShelburne Bay LakeChittenden | C | 14.1 ft | 11.4 µg/L | 4.8 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 6 | CGillett PondChittenden | C | 3.1 ft | 25.8 µg/L | 6.6 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 7 | CColchester PondChittenden | C | 8.9 ft | 17.7 µg/L | 4 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 8 | FShelburne PondChittenden | F | 1.8 ft | 130 µg/L | 51.5 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRRound PondChittenden | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLong PondChittenden | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRArrowhead Mountain LakeChittenden | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRMilton PondChittenden | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLower PondChittenden | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in Vermont
See how Chittenden County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.