Lake Fairlee
Orange County, Vermont463 acresView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Fairlee. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Fairlee in Orange County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Surface area: 463 acres.
Lake Fairlee is a 463-acre mesotrophic lake in Orange County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 54 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 3 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Lake Fairlee ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Fairlee covers about 460 acres in Orange County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Fairlee on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Fairlee is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21.7 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 Fairlee 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 Fairlee
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Lake Fairlee, 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 21.7 ft down. Phosphorus 14.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.7 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 21.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.7µg/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. | 39 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Fairlee
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~54 ft est.
Surface area
463 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 Fairlee.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
20 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
686 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 FairleePublic
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 Fairlee
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Fairlee in Orange 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 Lake Fairlee
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 Fairlee → · more Vermont lake trips
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Fishing Lake Fairlee
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.49 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.1 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Fairlee is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Fairlee (completed 1939), built primarily for recreation on the Ompompanoosuc River-Tr; concrete-type dam, 12 ft tall and 184 ft long.
- Surface area
- 463 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 20.28 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- TRI-TOWN COMMISSION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00067 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Fairlee
Where is Lake Fairlee?
- Lake Fairlee is a lake in Orange 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 Fairlee?
- Lake Fairlee in Orange County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L. Surface area: 463 acres.
Is Lake Fairlee safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Fairlee?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Fairlee, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 54 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 463 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Fairlee?
- Lake Fairlee has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Fairlee. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Fairlee?
- Lake Fairlee 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 Fairlee across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
233 measurements from 13 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ233 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 (13)
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