Shelburne Pond
Chittenden County, VermontView mapDirections
Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Shelburne Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
Shelburne Pond in Chittenden County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 130 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 51.5 µg/L.
Shelburne Pond is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Chittenden County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 42 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 7 other monitored lakes in Chittenden County, Shelburne Pond ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Shelburne Pond has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Shelburne Pond on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Shelburne Pond is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Shelburne Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Shelburne Pond 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 Shelburne Pond
These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for Shelburne Pond, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 130 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 51.5 µg/L. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 130µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 51.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Shelburne Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 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 Shelburne Pond.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
400 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
322 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
- Shelburne PondPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Shelburne Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Shelburne Pond in Chittenden 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Shelburne Pond are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Shelburne Pond
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 Shelburne Pond → · more Vermont lake trips
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Fishing Shelburne Pond
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2022–2025).
Phosphorus
Improving-16.28 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-3.79 µg/L/yr4 years
EPA Impairment Status
Shelburne Pond is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation, Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT08-02L01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Chittenden County
Frequently asked questions about Shelburne Pond
Where is Shelburne Pond?
- Shelburne Pond is a lake in Chittenden County, Vermont. Its water-quality measurements are published by Vermont DEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Shelburne Pond?
- Shelburne Pond in Chittenden County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 130 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 51.5 µg/L.
Is Shelburne Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Shelburne Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nuisance exotic species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Shelburne Pond?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Shelburne Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 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 Shelburne Pond?
- Shelburne Pond has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Shelburne Pond. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Shelburne Pond?
- Shelburne Pond 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 Shelburne Pond across LakeQuality
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Hypereutrophic Lakes in Vermont
Where this data comes from
142 measurements from 6 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ142 samples · 2021–2025
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 (6)
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