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LakeQuality

Lake Morey

Orange County, VermontView mapDirections

A
Excellent

Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
19.7 ft
Secchi · sampled 2025
Max depth
~52 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Improving
6 years of samples
  • Mesotrophic
  • Impaired · Nuisance exotic species
  • #2 of 4 in the county
  • 52 ft max depth
  • Public access

Lake Morey in Orange County, Vermont has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 19.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L.

Clarity
19.7 ft
Max depth
~52 ft est.
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
15.2 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
2.8 µg/L
Trend
Improving
Public access
Yes
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Lake Morey is a mesotrophic lake in Orange County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 52 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2025. 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 Morey ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-10-06. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Lake Morey is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water19.7 ft of visibility
  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Low algae

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Lake Morey is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Albany

Get alerts for Lake Morey

Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

Crystal clear, you can see 19.7 ft down. Phosphorus 15.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.8 µg/L. TSI 39. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)19.7 ftNot graded
Phosphorus15.2 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)2.8 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)39Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~52 ft est.
Average Depth~50 ft est.
Public AccessYes

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 Morey.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
Surface area
514 acres
Shoreline
4.6 mi
Elevation
420 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

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Lake MoreyPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Lake Morey

Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Declining-0.2 m/yr4
Phosphorus Improving-3.02 µg/L/yr6
Chlorophyll-a Improving-1.08 µg/L/yr6
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Lake Morey is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4C).

Causes of impairment

Nuisance exotic species

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT16-20L01_02 · Official waterbody report

County Ranking

Ranked #2 of 4 lakes in Orange County

Nearby Lakes in Orange County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Morey

Where is Lake Morey?

Lake Morey is a lake in Orange County, Vermont. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Lake Morey?

Lake Morey in Orange County, Vermont has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 19.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.8 µg/L.

Is Lake Morey safe to swim in?

The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Lake Morey is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Lake Morey?

No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Morey, 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.

Are there boat ramps on Lake Morey?

Lake Morey has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Morey. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

295 measurements from 11 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation1VTDECWQ295 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 (11)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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