Forest Lake
Essex County, VermontView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Forest Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 18 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Forest Lake in Essex County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.5 µg/L.
Forest Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Essex County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 18 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Essex County, Forest Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2022-08-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Forest Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Forest Lake
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Forest Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft. Phosphorus 16.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.5 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16.8µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 50 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Forest Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~18 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Vermont DEC
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Vermont has not published bathymetry for Forest Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
52 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,660 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Forest Lake
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Fishing Forest Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2022–2025).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.95 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.67 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Essex County
Frequently asked questions about Forest Lake
Where is Forest Lake?
- Forest Lake is a lake in Essex County, Vermont. Its water-quality measurements are published by Vermont DEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Forest Lake?
- Forest Lake in Essex County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.5 µg/L.
Is Forest Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Forest Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Forest Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 18 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Forest Lake?
- Public access to Forest Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Vermont's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Forest Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ10 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- EPA approved Alternate Test Procedure for 4500 P H. Has a 28 day hold without acid preservation.
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)