Little Averill Pond
Essex County, Vermont483 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Hydrologic alteration
- #2 of 9 in the county
- 36 ft max depth
Little Averill Pond in Essex County, Vermont has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 19.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 483 acres.
- Clarity
- 19.4 ft
- Max depth
- ~36 ft est.
- Area
- 483 acres
- Type
- Oligotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 6.6 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 1.6 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Averill Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little Averill Pond in Essex 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 Little Averill Pond
Prices for Sep 11–13, 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 whole trip? See where to stay at Vermont’s top lakes →
Watch Little Averill Pond’s letter
Email me if this lake’s grade moves. Grades stay free.
Or email
Little Averill Pond is a 483-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Essex County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 36 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Essex County, Little Averill Pond ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-19. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Little Averill Pond is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19.4 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow 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. Little Averill Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for hydrologic alteration. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Crystal clear, you can see 19.4 ft down. Phosphorus 6.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 µg/L. TSI 34. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 19.4 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 6.6 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.6 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 34 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~36 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~32 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 483 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Vermont has not published bathymetry for Little Averill Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Little Averill Pond
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.585 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -0.68 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.13 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Little Averill Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Little Averill Pond (completed 1850), built primarily for recreation on the Averill Creek; concrete-type dam, 19 ft tall and 180 ft long.
- Surface area
- 483 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,245 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.46 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- HYDRO COATICOOK
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00181 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Little Averill Pond is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4C).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT17-03L01 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 9 lakes in Essex County
Nearby Lakes in Essex County
Frequently asked questions about Little Averill Pond
Where is Little Averill Pond?
- Little Averill Pond is a lake in Essex County, Vermont. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Little Averill Pond?
- Little Averill Pond in Essex County, Vermont has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 19.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 483 acres.
Is Little Averill Pond safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Little Averill Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for hydrologic alteration. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little Averill Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Little Averill Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 36 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 483 acres.
Explore Little Averill Pond across LakeQuality
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Vermont's top lakes, each with its grade
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Vermont's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked
More Vermont Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Vermont
Oligotrophic Lakes in Vermont
Where this data comes from
105 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ105 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- 4500 P H ~ Manual Digestion and Flow Injection Analysis for Total Phosphorus
- 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)
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)