Shadow Lake
Orleans County, Vermont199 acresView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Shadow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Hydrologic alteration
- 61 ft max depth
- Public access
Shadow Lake in Orleans County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 28.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Surface area: 199 acres.
Shadow Lake is a 199-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Orleans County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 61 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, Shadow Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Shadow Lake covers about 200 acres in Orleans County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Shadow Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Shadow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water28.9 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. Shadow Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for hydrologic alteration. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Shadow Lake 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 Shadow Lake
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Shadow Lake, 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 28.9 ft down. Phosphorus 8.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.4 µg/L. TSI 32.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 28.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.4µg/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. | 32 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Shadow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~61 ft est.
Surface area
199 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 Shadow Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,394 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
- Shadow Lake (Glover)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Shadow Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Shadow Lake 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 Shadow Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 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 Shadow Lake → · more Vermont lake trips
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Fishing Shadow Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.55 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Shadow Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Shadow Lake (completed 1929), built primarily for recreation on the Barton River-Tr; masonry-type dam, 13 ft tall and 129 ft long.
- Surface area
- 199 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,700 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.59 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- TOWN OF GLOVER
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00070 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Shadow Lake 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, Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT17-08L03_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orleans County
Frequently asked questions about Shadow Lake
Where is Shadow Lake?
- Shadow Lake 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 Shadow Lake?
- Shadow Lake in Orleans County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 28.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Surface area: 199 acres.
Is Shadow Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Shadow Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for hydrologic alteration. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Shadow Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Shadow Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 61 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 199 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Shadow Lake?
- Shadow Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Shadow Lake (Glover). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Shadow Lake?
- Shadow Lake 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 Shadow Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
210 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
1VTDECWQ210 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