Water Safety in Vermont

Vermont's lakes and rivers are cool, clear and mostly unguarded. At state park beaches, plan on being your own lifeguard: name an adult Water Watcher for every child, and check the swim water status and the algae tracker before anyone goes in. If you drive a motorboat and were born after January 1, 1974, you need a boating education certificate.

Vermont drowning and boating numbers

1.30 per 100,000

• Drowning: CDC puts Vermont's average annual drowning death rate for 2018-2021 at 1.30 per 100,000 people (opens in a new tab), about the same as the national rate.
• Boating: The U.S. Coast Guard counted 6 reportable recreational boating incidents in Vermont in 2024, with 4 deaths and 8 injuries (opens in a new tab). Four of the six incidents were fatal. Deaths by year: 4 in 2020, 7 in 2021, 2 in 2022, 1 in 2023 and 4 in 2024.

Small numbers swing widely from year to year. CDC counts drowning deaths of residents; the Coast Guard counts boating incidents. See our Vermont data page.

State park beaches: no lifeguards

Vermont State Parks offer swimming in lakes, rivers and one pool. The parks say lifeguards are available only at the Button Bay pool (opens in a new tab). At every other state park swim area, adults are the lifeguards.

• Name a Water Watcher who watches swimmers without a phone or book, and hand off the job clearly. See supervising kids around water.
• Read lake swimming safety before your first swim of the summer.

Water testing. Park staff test water weekly at all Vermont State Park swimming areas during the operating season (opens in a new tab) for E. coli and blue-green algae, and post live results. Testing ends no later than September 30.

Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)

The Vermont Department of Health explains that cyanobacteria can collect into a bloom and release toxins (opens in a new tab) that can make you or your pets sick. Blooms are most common on warm days in late summer and early fall. They can make the water look dark green, like pea soup or spilled paint (opens in a new tab). In recent years, blooms have happened most often in northern Lake Champlain, such as St. Albans Bay and Missisquoi Bay.

Before you go, use the Cyanobacteria Tracker (opens in a new tab). At many sites, observations are made weekly from early June to early October, and each site is marked "Generally Safe," "Low Alert" or "High Alert." If the water looks like a bloom, stay out and keep your dog out. You can report a bloom online. More in is the water safe to swim in?

Boating in Vermont

Vermont Fish and Wildlife says the state has hundreds of lakes and ponds and thousands of miles of rivers (opens in a new tab), and more than 200 public access areas.

• Boater education: under 23 V.S.A. 3305b, an individual born after January 1, 1974 shall not operate a motorboat on the public waters of this State without first obtaining a certificate of boating education (opens in a new tab), and must carry it. Courses are available online and through the Vermont State Police.
• Life jackets: federal law requires children under 13 to wear one on a moving boat (opens in a new tab). Vermont's lakes are cold in spring and fall, so read cold water paddling before an early-season trip.

This is a summary, not legal advice.

What you can do today

• Check the state park swim water results and the Cyanobacteria Tracker before your next lake day.
• Choose a Water Watcher for every swim, since most beaches have no lifeguard.
• Learn what a bloom looks like, and keep kids and dogs out of scummy water.
• Get your boating education certificate if you were born after January 1, 1974.
• In winter, read ice thickness safety before stepping onto a frozen lake.