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LakeQuality

St. Albans Bay Lake

Franklin County, VermontView mapDirections

Vermont DEC publishes the water-quality measurements for St. Albans Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
6.6 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2025
Phosphorus
32.8 µg/L
More phosphorus than most
Measured by Vermont DEC
Chlorophyll-a
10.3 µg/L
More algae than most
Measured by Vermont DEC
Type
Eutrophic
Trophic class
Trend
Worsening
6 years of samples
  • Eutrophic
  • Impaired · Mercury
  • Public access

St. Albans Bay Lake in Franklin County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 10.3 µg/L.

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St. Albans Bay Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Franklin County, Vermont. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 5 public boat landings. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Franklin County, St. Albans Bay Lake ranks #5 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-07-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

St. Albans Bay Lake has 5 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around St. Albans Bay Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.

What St. Albans Bay Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch5 documented ramps

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Recreation 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. St. Albans Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether St. Albans Bay 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.

Get alerts for St. Albans Bay Lake →

Water quality measurements for St. Albans Bay Lake

These are the measurements Vermont DEC publishes for St. Albans Bay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 32.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 10.3 µg/L. TSI 53.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)6.6ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus32.8µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)10.3µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.53Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about St. Albans Bay Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Recreation & Access

5
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Fairfield SwampPublic
  • Saint Albans BayPublic
  • Georgia Memorial Recreation AreaPublic
  • Kill Kare State ParkPublic
  • Burton Island State ParkPublic

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

Stays via Stay22

Stays near St. Albans Bay Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near St. Albans Bay Lake in Franklin 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 St. Albans Bay Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near St. Albans Bay 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 St. Albans Bay Lake → · more Vermont lake trips

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Fishing St. Albans Bay Lake

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    4 years

  • Phosphorus

    Worsening

    +3.68 µg/L/yr6 years

  • Chlorophyll-a

    Stable

    +0.07 µg/L/yr3 years

See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

St. Albans Bay Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

MercuryNutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)PCBs

Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption, Recreation, Other.

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT05-07L01_01 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Franklin County

Frequently asked questions about St. Albans Bay Lake

Where is St. Albans Bay Lake?

St. Albans Bay Lake is a lake in Franklin County, Vermont. Its water-quality measurements are published by Vermont DEC and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of St. Albans Bay Lake?

St. Albans Bay Lake in Franklin County, Vermont has water-quality measurements published by Vermont DEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 10.3 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is St. Albans Bay Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. St. Albans Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Are there boat ramps on St. Albans Bay Lake?

St. Albans Bay Lake has 5 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fairfield Swamp, Saint Albans Bay, Georgia Memorial Recreation Area, Kill Kare State Park, among others. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at St. Albans Bay Lake?

St. Albans Bay Lake has 5 documented boat landings 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

207 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation1VTDECWQ207 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 (1)

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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory