Impaired Lakes in Vermont
99 of 223 graded Vermont lakes (44%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 41 have an approved TMDL restoration plan.
Top Causes of Impairment in Vermont
Reading the Vermont impairment landscape
Vermont reports 99 impaired lakes — 44% of the state's 223 tracked water bodies. That share is high enough to make impairment a meaningful planning concern: roughly one in four lakes carries at least one §303(d) listing for a pollutant exceeding standards. The list below isn't a niche concern — it's a significant chunk of the state's surface-water inventory.
The leading impairment cause in Vermont is Nuisance exotic species. Each impairment category carries its own use-restriction implications — some affect fish consumption, some affect swimming, some affect aquatic-life habitat. Click through to the specific lake records below for the pollutant list and the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) status, which determines whether a cleanup plan is in place.
Impaired-waters listings come from the state environmental agency's §303(d) submission to EPA, refreshed on a roughly 2-year cycle. A listed lake stays on the list until either a TMDL is established and the cleanup completes, or subsequent monitoring shows the pollutant concentrations no longer exceed water-quality standards. The list below reflects the most recent available Vermont submission to the EPA Assessment, Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS) dataset.
All 99 EPA-Listed Impaired Lakes in Vermont
| Lake | County | Grade | Causes | TMDL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake St. Catherine | Rutland | A | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Malletts Bay Lake | Chittenden | A | Mercury, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) +1 more | ✓ |
| Harveys Lake | Caledonia | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Lake Hortonia | Rutland | A | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Lake Fairlee | Orange | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Echo Lake | Rutland | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Lake Morey | Orange | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Little Averill Pond | Essex | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Lake Willoughby | Orleans | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| South Pond | Windham | A | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Lake Dunmore | Addison | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Sunset Lake | Rutland | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Stratton Pond | Windham | A | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Chipman Lake | Rutland | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Shadow Lake | Orleans | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Lake Elmore | Lamoille | A | Hydrologic alteration, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Lake Salem | Orleans | A | Mercury | ✓ |
| Perch Pond | Rutland | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Holland Pond | Orleans | A | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Lake Bomoseen | Rutland | A | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Big Pond | Bennington | A | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Waterbury Reservoir | Washington | A | Hydrologic alteration, Sediment / turbidity | — |
| Fairfield Pond | Franklin | A | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Silver Lake | Addison | A | Hydrologic alteration, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Great Averill Pond | Essex | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Lake Elligo | Orleans | A | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Green River Reservoir | Lamoille | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Hapgood Pond | Bennington | A | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Norton Pond | Essex | A | Hydrologic alteration | ✓ |
| Lake Paran | Bennington | A | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Little Pond | Bennington | B | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Grout Pond | Windham | B | Mercury, pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Sunset Lake | Windham | B | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Stamford Pond | Bennington | B | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Haystack Pond | Windham | B | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Forester Pond | Windham | B | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Otter Creek Section Lake | Addison | C | Mercury, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) +1 more | ✓ |
| Little Pond | Rutland | C | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Burlington Bay Lake | Chittenden | C | Mercury, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) +1 more | ✓ |
| Lake Memphremagog | Orleans | C | Hydrologic alteration, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Port Henry Section Lake | Addison | C | Mercury, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), PCBs | ✓ |
| Indian Brook Reservoir | Chittenden | C | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Lake Iroquois | Chittenden | C | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Shelburne Bay Lake | Chittenden | C | Mercury, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), PCBs | ✓ |
| High Pond | Rutland | C | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Big Mud Pond | Rutland | C | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Branch Pond | Bennington | C | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Bourn Pond | Bennington | C | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Lake Runnemede | Windsor | C | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Isle la Motte Lake | Grand Isle | C | Mercury, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) +1 more | ✓ |
| Forest Lake | Essex | C | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Colchester Pond | Chittenden | C | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Fern Lake | Addison | C | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Missisquoi Bay Lake | Franklin | D | Mercury, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Lake Carmi | Franklin | D | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| St. Albans Bay Lake | Franklin | D | Mercury, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) +1 more | ✓ |
| Shelburne Pond | Chittenden | F | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Spruce Pond | Addison | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Beebe Pond | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Beebe Pond | Bennington | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Sunrise Lake | Rutland | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Long Pond | Orleans | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Chittenden Reservoir | Rutland | NR | Hydrologic alteration, Mercury | ✓ |
| Round Pond | Orleans | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Schofield Pond | Lamoille | NR | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Lake Pinneo | Windsor | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Metcalf Pond | Franklin | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Stoughton Pond | Windsor | NR | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Vergennes Watershed Lake | Addison | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Adams Reservoir | Bennington | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Richville Pond | Addison | NR | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Levi Pond | Caledonia | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Rocky Pond | Rutland | NR | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Ricker Pond | Caledonia | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Searsburg Reservoir | Bennington | NR | Mercury | ✓ |
| Somerset Reservoir | Windham | NR | Mercury, pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Howe Pond Outlet | Bennington | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Cedar Lake | Addison | NR | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Star Lake | Rutland | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Grout Pond Outlet | Windham | NR | Mercury, pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Binney Brook Lake | Windham | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Jerome Lake | Addison | NR | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Beaver Pond Outlet | Orleans | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Lily Pond | Windham | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Lily Pond | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Hapgood Pond Outlet | Bennington | NR | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| North Hartland Reservoir | Windsor | NR | Hydrologic alteration | — |
| Glen Lake | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Mill Pond | Windsor | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Half Moon Pond | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Unknown Pond | Essex | NR | pH / acidity | — |
| Unknown Pond | Essex | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Roach Pond | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Deweys Mill Pond | Windsor | NR | Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Loves Marsh Lake | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Noxious aquatic plants, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Austin Pond | Rutland | NR | Algal growth, Nuisance exotic species | — |
| Kings Hill Pond | Franklin | NR | pH / acidity | ✓ |
| Walker Pond | Orleans | NR | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Comerford Reservoir | Caledonia | NR | Mercury | ✓ |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lakes are impaired in Vermont?
99 of 223 graded Vermont lakes (44%) are listed as impaired in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. Of those, 12 are on the federal Clean Water Act §303(d) list and 41 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
What does Clean Water Act §303(d) mean?
Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires every state to identify waters that don't meet water quality standards even after pollution control measures. Each listed water must then have a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) developed — a plan that caps how much of each pollutant can enter the waterbody. The "303(d) list" is the impaired-waters list. The EPA reviews each state's list every two years.
What are the top causes of impairment in Vermont?
The most common causes flagged across Vermont's impaired lakes are: Nuisance exotic species (47 lakes); pH / acidity (27 lakes); Algal growth (19 lakes); Hydrologic alteration (19 lakes); Mercury (15 lakes); Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) (13 lakes). Mercury is widespread in fish tissue across the upper Midwest from atmospheric deposition. Nutrient impairment (phosphorus, nitrogen) typically reflects agricultural runoff and urban stormwater.
Can I swim in an impaired lake?
It depends on the cause of impairment. A lake impaired for "mercury in fish tissue" is generally safe to swim in — the warning is about long-term consumption of fish. A lake impaired for "pathogens" (E. coli) or "algal growth" may pose a swimming risk and often has a separate beach advisory. Check the cause categories listed for each lake below, and consult your state health department's beach monitoring program for current advisories.
Where does this impairment data come from?
Every impairment record on this page comes from the EPA's ATTAINS (Assessment and TMDL Tracking and Implementation System) public dataset, the federal repository of state-reported water quality assessments. EPA ATTAINS is published as GeoParquet files on the EPA Office of Water S3 bucket and refreshed several times per year. Causes and use-support codes follow EPA's standard taxonomy.
More on impaired waters
What it means when a lake is listed as impaired, why mercury is the most common reason, and why a listed lake can still be clear water with a good grade.
Why states issue fish-consumption advisories, which contaminants — mercury, PCBs, PFAS — drive them, and how to eat the fish you catch more safely.
How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake's grade.
Which lakes are actually improving: multi-year EPA monitoring trends, the named recoveries still in progress, and what it takes to move a letter grade.
Data source
Impairment data from the EPA ATTAINS (Assessment and TMDL Tracking and Implementation System) public dataset. Assessment unit IDs are matched to LakeQuality lakes by name and proximity; some lakes may not appear here if their ATTAINS name doesn't match our naming convention. For an official query, consult Vermont's state water-quality agency.