Lake Elligo
Orleans County, VermontView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Elligo. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 65 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Elligo in Orleans County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 26.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.1 µg/L.
Lake Elligo is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Orleans County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 65 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 16 other monitored lakes in Orleans County, Lake Elligo ranks #9 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-09-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Elligo is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water26.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 Lake Elligo 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 Elligo
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Lake Elligo, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 26.2 ft down. Phosphorus 6.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.1 µg/L. TSI 31.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 26.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 6.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.1µg/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. | 31 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lake Elligo
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~65 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 Lake Elligo.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
175 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
879 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 ElligoPublic
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 Elligo
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Elligo in Orleans 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.
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Fishing Lake Elligo
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2021–2025).
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.58 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Orleans County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Elligo
Where is Lake Elligo?
- Lake Elligo is a lake in Orleans 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 Elligo?
- Lake Elligo in Orleans County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 26.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.1 µg/L.
Is Lake Elligo safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Elligo?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Elligo, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 65 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Elligo?
- Lake Elligo has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Elligo. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Elligo?
- Lake Elligo 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 Elligo across LakeQuality
More lakes in Vermont
Other Lakes in Vermont
Oligotrophic Lakes in Vermont
Where this data comes from
39 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ39 samples · 2021–2025
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 (2)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory