Lake Carmi
Franklin County, Vermont1,375 acresView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Carmi. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 41 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Carmi in Franklin County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.3 µg/L. Surface area: 1375 acres.
Lake Carmi is a 1,375-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Franklin County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Franklin County, Lake Carmi ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Carmi covers about 1,400 acres in Franklin County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Carmi, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Carmi is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water1,375 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Lake Carmi is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Carmi 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 Lake Carmi
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Lake Carmi, 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 4.9 ft. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20.3 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.3µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Carmi
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Surface area
1,375 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 Lake Carmi.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
15 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
430 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.
Recreation & Access
- Lake CarmiPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Carmi
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Carmi in Franklin 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Carmi are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Carmi
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Carmi → · more Vermont lake trips
Follow Lake Carmi’s readings
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Fishing Lake Carmi
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+10.14 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-6.31 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Carmi is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Carmi (completed 1970), built primarily for recreation on the Pike River-Tr; concrete-type dam, 17 ft tall and 160 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,375 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 12.05 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- STATE OF VERMONT - DEC
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00210 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Carmi is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT05-02L01_02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Franklin County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Carmi
Where is Lake Carmi?
- Lake Carmi is a lake in Franklin County, Vermont. Its water-quality measurements are published by Vermont DEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Carmi?
- Lake Carmi in Franklin County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.3 µg/L. Surface area: 1375 acres.
Is Lake Carmi safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Carmi is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Carmi?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Carmi, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 1375 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Carmi?
- Lake Carmi has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Carmi. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Carmi?
- Lake Carmi has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Lake Carmi across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1,530 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
1VTDECWQ1,530 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- 4500 P H ~ Manual Digestion and Flow Injection Analysis for Total Phosphorus
- 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory