Lake Hortonia
Rutland County, Vermont449 acresView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Hortonia. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 44 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Hortonia in Rutland County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Surface area: 449 acres.
Lake Hortonia is a 449-acre mesotrophic lake in Rutland County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 44 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 14 other monitored lakes in Rutland County, Lake Hortonia ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Hortonia covers about 450 acres in Rutland County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Hortonia on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Hortonia is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
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 Hortonia is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Hortonia 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 Hortonia
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Lake Hortonia, 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 14.8 ft. Phosphorus 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.8 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.8µg/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 Lake Hortonia
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~44 ft est.
Surface area
449 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 Hortonia.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
492 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
- Hortonia LakePublic
- Hortonia Lake DamPublic
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 Hortonia
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Hortonia in Rutland 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 Hortonia
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.
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Fishing Lake Hortonia
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.69 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.46 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Hortonia is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Hortonia (completed 1955), built primarily for recreation on the Hubbardton River-Tr; concrete-type dam, 16 ft tall and 150 ft long.
- Surface area
- 449 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.96 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- STATE OF VERMONT - DFW
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00009 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Hortonia is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4C).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation, Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT02-02L05_02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Rutland County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Hortonia
Where is Lake Hortonia?
- Lake Hortonia is a lake in Rutland 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 Hortonia?
- Lake Hortonia in Rutland County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L. Surface area: 449 acres.
Is Lake Hortonia safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Hortonia is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Hortonia?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Hortonia, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 44 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 449 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Hortonia?
- Lake Hortonia has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hortonia Lake, Hortonia Lake Dam. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Hortonia?
- Lake Hortonia has 2 documented boat landings 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 Hortonia across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
205 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
1VTDECWQ205 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
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