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, causing many to ask what actions had been taken to improve water quality and what else could be done. 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. Also, continued lake and tributary water quality monitoring has led to VT DEC funding a Lake Watershed Action Plan that was initiated in 2022, when Lake Morey met the criteria for being assessed as Impaired for Aesthetics Use based on Lay Monitoring Program data from 2013-2022 and Vermont Water Quality Standards.
This page serves as a central location for information about monitoring and management of Lake Morey’s water quality.
Resources and Reports
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VT DEC Integrated Watershed Information System (IWIS) online data portal (search Lake Morey monitoring sites)
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VT DEC Lake Score Card | Lake Monitoring and Watershed Land Use Reports (scroll down to Lake Morey)
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VT DEC Lay Monitoring Program | Volunteer Lake Monitoring Reports (scroll down to Lake Morey)
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VT DEC LaRosa Partnership Program | Volunteer Tributary Monitoring Reports (select Lake Morey Association)
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2023 LAKE MOREY SEDIMENT STUDY AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS
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2022 Lake Morey Aesthetics Use Impairment based on monitoring data from 2013-2022
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2022, October 26th: The State of Vermont and Town of Fairlee held a forum on Lake Morey conditions. See the Agenda, slide presentations, Zoom recording of the forum and the official minutes here.
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2022, September 26th: Lake Morey cyanobacteria bloom identification (VT DEC Weekly Cyanobacteria Report)
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2022, March 10th: Lake Morey Community Presentation of 2021 Water Quality Monitoring Results
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1984 LAKE MOREY DIAGNOSTIC-FEASIBILITY STUDY 1980-1984 FINAL REPORT