Lake Salem
Orleans County, VermontView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Salem. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Salem in Orleans County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L.
Lake Salem is a mesotrophic lake in Orleans County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 31 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 Salem ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Salem has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Salem on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Salem is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.1 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. Lake Salem is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Salem 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 Salem
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Lake Salem, 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 13.1 ft. Phosphorus 14.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.6 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.6µg/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 Salem
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 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 Salem.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
136 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
581 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
955 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
- David H WoodPublic
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 Salem
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Salem 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Salem
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake Salem
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.78 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.5 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Salem 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT17-04L04_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orleans County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Salem
Where is Lake Salem?
- Lake Salem 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 Salem?
- Lake Salem in Orleans County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L.
Is Lake Salem safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Salem is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Salem?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Salem, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 Salem?
- Lake Salem has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include David H Wood. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Salem?
- Lake Salem 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 Salem across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
222 measurements from 9 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ222 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 (9)
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