Joes Pond
Caledonia County, Vermont396 acresView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Joes Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 52 ft max depth
- Public access
Joes Pond in Caledonia County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L. Surface area: 396 acres.
Joes Pond is a 396-acre mesotrophic lake in Caledonia County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 52 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 Caledonia County, Joes Pond ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Joes Pond covers about 400 acres in Caledonia County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Joes Pond, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Joes Pond is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Joes Pond 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 Joes Pond
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Joes Pond, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft. Phosphorus 11.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.5 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Joes Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~52 ft est.
Surface area
396 acres
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 Joes Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
28 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,542 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 Joes Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Joes Pond in Caledonia County, Vermont — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Joes Pond
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Fishing Joes Pond
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.8 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.69 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Joes Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the West Danville No. 15 (completed 1916), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Joes Brook; concrete-type dam, 14 ft tall and 87 ft long.
- Surface area
- 396 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,160 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 28.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- GREEN MOUNTAIN POWER CORP
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00049 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Caledonia County
Frequently asked questions about Joes Pond
Where is Joes Pond?
- Joes Pond is a lake in Caledonia County, Vermont. Its water-quality measurements are published by Vermont DEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Joes Pond?
- Joes Pond in Caledonia County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L. Surface area: 396 acres.
Is Joes Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Joes Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Joes Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 52 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 396 acres.
Can I fish at Joes Pond?
- Public access to Joes Pond 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 Joes Pond across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
152 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ152 samples · 2020–2025
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)