Vermont Lake Assessment Program Water Quality Data for 230 Lakes

The VTDEC Lake Assessment Program collects water quality and biological data to permit use support designations for Aquatic Life, Aesthetic, and Contact uses, consistent with the Clean Water Act. Data is available for up to 230 Vermont lakes and ponds greater than 20 acres in size. The dataset was last updated in June 1999.

Use Cases

• Classify lakes for aquatic life support based on water quality data.
• Assess aesthetic suitability of lakes for recreational use based on biological data.
• Evaluate water contact safety for swimming and recreation based on collected parameters.
• Monitor long-term changes in Vermont lake ecosystems using the historical data.

Strengths

• Data covers up to 230 lakes and ponds, providing a substantial sample.
• Focuses on lakes larger than 20 acres, targeting significant water bodies.
• Collects data for multiple regulatory use categories (Aquatic Life, Aesthetic, Contact).

Limitations

• Last updated 1999-06-14 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VTDEC)

Collection Method

Program designed to collect data for regulatory use support designations.

Time Range

Data up to 1999.

Freshness

1999-06 14 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Vermont, USA (lakes and ponds greater than 20 acres)