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Lake Morey

Lake Morey 8-8-2022

Lake Morey is one of Vermont’s jewels. Nestled among hills in the town of Fairlee, this 550-acre lake is a popular destination for anglers, birders, boaters, and campers.

During August-October 2022, Lake Morey’s summer recreational season was cut short by an intense, prolonged cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) bloom. This and previous blooms along with volunteer lake sampling led to the lake being listed as Impaired for Aesthetics Use based on Lay Monitoring Program phosphorus data from 2013-2022 under Vermont Water Quality Standards.

In the 1970's and early 1980's cyanobacteria blooms also "severely interfered with recreational use of the lake", and this prompted a diagnostic-feasibility study completed in 1984 that led to a successful alum treatment in 1986 to control internal phosphorus loading from the lake sediments. Nearly 40 years later, a new sediment study was completed in January 2023 that recommended another alum treatment, which was then permitted and funded by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and completed in June of 2024 in collaboration with the Town of Fairlee. The alum treatment was once again successful at reducing phosphorus from internal loading and in the water column to well below the water quality standard, which resulted in very low chlorophyll-a (algae) and very high Secchi transparency (clarity).

When alum (aluminum sulfate) is added to a lake, phosphate is removed in the water column through precipitation forming a floc that settles to the lake bottom. This floc layer forms a barrier to internal phosphorus loading from the sediment. For more information on alum, the North American Lake Management Society has a webpage on The Use of Alum for Lake Management, including a position statement that "Alum is a safe and effective lake management tool."

Also, continued lake and tributary water quality monitoring has led to VT DEC funding a Lake Watershed Action Plan (LWAP) that was initiated in 2022 and completed in 2024. An LWAP is an assessment and planning tool used to identify how land uses (shoreline development, road networks, agriculture, forestry, etc.) are impacting water resources. Projects are then prioritized for addressing water quality concerns in a specific lake watershed. The White River Natural Resources Conservation District worked with Bear Creek Environmental to develop the Lake Morey Watershed Action Plan in collaboration with project partners including the Lake Morey Protective Association, the Lake Morey Foundation, the Lake Morey Commission, and private landowners. The prioritized list of restoration and protection projects identified through the LWAP process can be considered for funding under the Clean Water Initiative Program (CWIP) and other sources.

This page serves as a central location for information about monitoring and management of Lake Morey’s water quality.

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