Waterbury Reservoir
Washington County, Vermont850 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Hydrologic alteration
- #7 of 9 in the county
- 52 ft max depth
Waterbury Reservoir in Washington County, Vermont has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Phosphorus: 9.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Surface area: 850 acres.
- Max depth
- ~52 ft est.
- Area
- 850 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 9.1 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2.6 µg/L
- Trend
- → Stable
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Watch Waterbury Reservoir’s letter
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Waterbury Reservoir is a 850-acre mesotrophic lake in Washington County, Vermont with an estimated average depth of about 52 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Washington County, Waterbury Reservoir ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, VT DEC, last sampled 2025-08-11. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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. Waterbury Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for hydrologic alteration, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
No clarity data. Phosphorus 9.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.6 µg/L. TSI 38. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | 9.1 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.6 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 38 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:45 PM from gauge 04288500 (WATERBURY RESERVOIR NEAR WATERBURY, VT). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Waterbury Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~52 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 850 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 Waterbury Reservoir.
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 Waterbury Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +0.48 µg/L/yr | 3 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.33 µg/L/yr | 3 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Waterbury Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Waterbury (completed 1938), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Little River; earth-type dam, 187 ft tall and 2,130 ft long.
- Surface area
- 850 ac
- Normal storage
- 0 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 88,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 109 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- STATE OF VERMONT - DEC
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VT00027 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Waterbury Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VT08-11L02_02 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #7 of 9 lakes in Washington County
Nearby Lakes in Washington County
Frequently asked questions about Waterbury Reservoir
Where is Waterbury Reservoir?
- Waterbury Reservoir is a lake in Washington County, Vermont. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Waterbury Reservoir?
- Waterbury Reservoir in Washington County, Vermont has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Phosphorus: 9.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.6 µg/L. Surface area: 850 acres.
Is Waterbury Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Waterbury Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for hydrologic alteration, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Waterbury Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Waterbury Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 52 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 850 acres.
What is the water level at Waterbury Reservoir?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Waterbury Reservoir is 589.03 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:45 PM at gauge 04288500. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Explore Waterbury Reservoir across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 9.2 mi, nearest Bingham Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Where this data comes from
113 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Vermont Dept of Environmental Conservation
1VTDECWQ113 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 (3)
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)