A red sun low over Slim Lake through wildfire haze, its reflection a column of orange on the water

Reservoirs in Vermont

98 of 308 measured Vermont lakes (32%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 53 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.

Reading the Vermont reservoir landscape

98 reservoirs in Vermont appear in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. That's a meaningful share — reservoir lakes carry their own ecology and access patterns distinct from natural lakes, including managed water levels, drawdowns timed to the dam's purpose, and shoreline mix dominated by structures built post-impoundment.

Recreation is the headline purpose for the largest share of Vermont's reservoirs — lakes where the dam exists explicitly to create surface water for fishing, boating, and adjacent shoreline development. Pool levels are typically maintained more stably than at flood-control or hydro reservoirs, which supports fixed-dock access, consistent boat ramps, and the kind of shoreline economy that natural-lake counterparts in the state share.

The USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) catalogs every dam in the United States above a size threshold — typically 25 feet in height or 50 acre-feet in maximum storage, plus all dams classified as high-hazard regardless of size. The reservoir records below pull NID fields (year built, hazard class, maximum storage, surface area at normal pool, dam length, primary purpose) and pair them with water-quality data where the impoundment also appears in EPA's lake-monitoring inventory.

Why these Vermont reservoirs were built

Recreation

Hydroelectric

Water Supply

Other

Flood Risk Reduction

Fish and Wildlife Pond

Total reservoirs

28,382

Total surface acres

171,666

Normal storage (ac-ft)

High or Significant hazard

All 98 Vermont reservoirs (by surface area)

Reservoir	County	Surface area	Year built	Purpose	Hazard
Lake Bomoseen	Rutland	2,360 ac	1850	Recreation	Low
Harriman Reservoir	Windham	1,875 ac	1924	Hydroelectric	High
Seymour Lake	Orleans	1,777 ac	1928	Hydroelectric	Low
Somerset Reservoir	Windham	1,514 ac	1913	Hydroelectric	High
Lake Carmi	Franklin	1,375 ac	1970	Recreation	Low
Lake St. Catherine	Rutland	1,024 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Little Pond	Rutland	1,024 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Lake Dunmore	Addison	985 ac	1920	Hydroelectric	Low
Waterbury Reservoir	Washington	850 ac	1938	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Great Averill Pond	Essex	812 ac	1918	Hydroelectric	Low
Maidstone Lake	Essex	800 ac	1931	Recreation	Low
Caspian Lake	Orleans	789 ac	1929	Hydroelectric	Significant
Crystal Lake	Orleans	778 ac	1860	Recreation	Significant
Chittenden Reservoir	Rutland	693 ac	1901	Hydroelectric	High
Green River Reservoir	Lamoille	625 ac	1947	Hydroelectric	High
Zack Woods Pond	Lamoille	620 ac	1947	Hydroelectric	Significant
Norton Pond	Essex	583 ac	1893	Hydroelectric	Significant
Echo Lake	Orleans	508 ac	1922	Hydroelectric	Low
Little Averill Pond	Essex	483 ac	1850	Recreation	Low
Lake Fairlee	Orange	463 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Lake Hortonia	Rutland	449 ac	1955	Recreation	Significant
Lake Groton	Caledonia	414 ac	1968	Recreation	Low
Mollys Falls Reservoir	Washington	411 ac	1927	Hydroelectric	High
Harveys Lake	Caledonia	409 ac	1970	Recreation	Significant
Joes Pond	Caledonia	396 ac	1916	Hydroelectric	Significant
Peacham Pond	Caledonia	331 ac	1930	Hydroelectric	Significant
Berlin Pond	Washington	256 ac	1920	Water Supply	Low
Lake Ninevah	Rutland	237 ac	1930	Recreation	Significant
Lake Iroquois	Chittenden	229 ac	1870	Other	Low
North Hartland Reservoir	Windsor	215 ac	1961	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Miles Pond	Essex	206 ac	1900	Recreation	Significant
Clyde Pond	Orleans	200 ac	1936	Hydroelectric	High
Shadow Lake	Orleans	199 ac	1929	Recreation	Significant
Glen Lake	Rutland	191 ac	1991	Recreation	Significant
Pensioner Pond	Orleans	187 ac	1949	Hydroelectric	Low
Lake Eden	Lamoille	186 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Little Hosmer Pond	Orleans	183 ac	1969	Recreation	Low
Colchester Pond	Chittenden	182 ac	1965	Recreation	Significant
Rescue Lake	Windsor	180 ac	1978	Recreation	Low
East Long Pond	Washington	177 ac	1930	Other	High
Nichols Pond	Washington	167 ac	1900	Other	High
Richville Pond	Addison	156 ac	1954	Recreation	Low
Coles Pond	Caledonia	125 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Silver Lake	Addison	110 ac	1917	Hydroelectric	High
South Pond	Lamoille	109 ac	1922	Recreation	Significant
Woodward Reservoir	Windsor	105 ac	1984	Recreation	High
Kent Pond	Rutland	102 ac	1965	Recreation	Significant
Lowell Lake	Windham	100 ac	1850	Recreation	High
Sunset Lake	Windham	95 ac	1910	Water Supply	Significant
Ricker Pond	Caledonia	92 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Lake Mirror	Washington	86 ac	1820	Recreation	Significant
Halls Lake	Orange	84 ac	—	Recreation	Low
Silver Lake	Windsor	84 ac	1968	Recreation	High
Martins Pond	Caledonia	77 ac	1958	Recreation	Low
Curtis Pond	Washington	76 ac	1900	Recreation	Significant
Echo Lake	Windsor	76 ac	—	Recreation	Significant
Amherst Lake	Windsor	76 ac	—	Recreation	Significant
Inman Pond	Rutland	76 ac	1920	Water Supply	Low
Mill Pond	Windsor	70 ac	1834	Recreation	High
Wolcott Pond	Lamoille	68 ac	1968	Recreation	Low
Stoughton Pond	Windsor	65 ac	1960	Recreation	High
Sugar Hill Reservoir	Addison	65 ac	1931	Hydroelectric	High
Lake Runnemede	Windsor	63 ac	1883	Recreation	Significant
Miller Pond	Orange	63 ac	1960	Recreation	Low
Star Lake	Rutland	63 ac	1900	Recreation	High
Loves Marsh Lake	Rutland	62 ac	1956	Recreation	Low
Lake Pinneo	Windsor	50 ac	1975	Recreation	Low
Ewell Pond	Caledonia	50 ac	1930	Recreation	Low
Deweys Mill Pond	Windsor	50 ac	1973	Other	Low
Indian Brook Reservoir	Chittenden	48 ac	1957	Recreation	High
Blueberry Lake	Washington	48 ac	1983	Recreation	High
Mill Pond	Rutland	39 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Lake Mansfield	Lamoille	38 ac	1900	Recreation	High
Lake Paran	Bennington	38 ac	1851	Recreation	High
Knapp Brook Lake	Windsor	35 ac	1961	Recreation	Significant
Keiser Pond	Caledonia	33 ac	1964	Recreation	Low
Weatherhead Hollow Lake	Windham	33 ac	1965	Recreation	Significant
Reservoir Pond	Windsor	32 ac	1920	Recreation	Low
Searsburg Reservoir	Bennington	30 ac	1922	Hydroelectric	Low
Black Pond	Windsor	30 ac	1897	Recreation	Low
Austin Pond	Rutland	28 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Shaftsbury Lake	Bennington	27 ac	1937	Recreation	Low
Gillett Pond	Chittenden	26 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Sunset Lake	Orange	25 ac	1850	Recreation	Significant
Adams Reservoir	Bennington	24 ac	1948	Recreation	Significant
Mcintosh Pond	Windsor	23 ac	1964	Recreation	Significant
South Stream Pond	Bennington	23 ac	1958	Recreation	Low
Lakota Lake	Windsor	22 ac	1891	Recreation	Significant
Kenny Pond	Windham	20 ac	1900	Recreation	Significant
Barber Lake	Bennington	19 ac	1910	Recreation	Low
Jerome Lake	Addison	18 ac	1957	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Sweet Pond	Windham	18 ac	1928	Recreation	High
Norford Lake	Windsor	18 ac	1925	Recreation	Low
Vergennes Watershed Lake	Addison	15 ac	1935	Recreation	Significant
Mecawee Pond	Windsor	14 ac	1920	Recreation	Significant
Hapgood Pond	Bennington	8 ac	1980	Water Supply	Low
Pond Known by Vtdec As Goulds	Windsor	5 ac	1900	Recreation	Low
Hapgood Pond Outlet	Bennington	4 ac	1939	Recreation	Low

Frequently Asked Questions

How many reservoirs are in Vermont?

98 of 308 measured Vermont lakes (32%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 53 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1820.

What's the largest reservoir in Vermont?

The largest matched reservoir in Vermont is Lake Bomoseen in Rutland County at 2,360 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Lake Bomoseen (completed 1850).

What's the difference between a reservoir and a natural lake?

A reservoir is a body of water impounded by a man-made dam — typically built for flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, irrigation, or recreation. A natural lake formed without human intervention, usually from glacial scouring, volcanic activity, or river meandering. Reservoirs typically have shoreline that fluctuates with seasonal water level management, while natural lakes have more stable shorelines. The USACE National Inventory of Dams classifies every regulated dam in the United States, which is how we identify which LakeQuality lakes are actually reservoirs.

What does the hazard class mean?

USACE assigns each dam a hazard potential classification based on what would happen downstream if the dam failed — NOT how likely the dam is to fail. "Low" hazard means dam failure would cause no probable loss of life and only low economic loss. "Significant" means probable loss of life is unlikely but appreciable economic damage would occur. "High" means probable loss of life and significant economic damage. The classification is about consequence, not condition. Many High-hazard dams are perfectly safe; they're rated High because populated areas have grown downstream over time.

Where does this reservoir data come from?

Every reservoir record on this page is matched to the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all dams ≥25 ft tall or impounding ≥50 acre-feet, plus any dam that poses a Significant or High hazard regardless of size. The NID is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and updated annually. Surface area, storage capacity, dam height, and hazard classification come directly from NID records.

Where to stay near Vermont reservoirs

Compare cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals near the largest reservoirs in Vermont — live availability and prices for boating, fishing, and lake trips.

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More on reservoirs and water quality

Are Reservoirs Cleaner Than Natural Lakes?

Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes compared side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.

Do Deeper Lakes Have Better Water Quality?

Surveyed maximum depth against nutrient and algae readings: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still read clean, and why land use beats bathymetry.

Lake Water Quality Explained: What the Readings Mean

How nutrient and algae readings are read against EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each class means in the water, and why a clean reading is not a clearance.

Why Lakes Turn Green: Phosphorus and Nutrient Pollution

How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake’s readings.

Data source

Reservoir data from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all regulated dams. Dam attributes (height, year completed, storage capacity, hazard class) are matched to LakeQuality lakes by proximity and dam-name similarity. Some lakes may be reservoirs that aren't matched if the dam record uses a name substantially different from our lake name.