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LakeQuality

Alachua-Holden Pond

D
Grade D — Nutrient-rich
Nutrient-rich · #23 of 31 lakes in the county · 2.9 ft clear · Eutrophic · from F
Limited DataEutrophic

Alachua-Holden Pond in Alachua County, Florida has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113 µg/L.

Clarity
2.9 ft
Typical in July
86°F
Max depth
~42 ft est.
Type
Eutrophic
Public access
Yes

Grade D measures nutrients and algae, not whether this is a good place for a cabin trip. Cabins and rentals near Alachua-Holden Pond

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Alachua-Holden Pond is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Alachua County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2020. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 30 other monitored lakes in Alachua County, Alachua-Holden Pond ranks #23 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2020-08-28. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

Nutrients and algae run higher than average — check local advisories before swimming, and skip the water if you see scum

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Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)

Very murky, less than 2.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus level: 113 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 67.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)2.9 ftNot graded
Phosphorus113 µg/LPoor
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)67Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Where to stay near Alachua-Holden Pond

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Alachua-Holden Pond in Alachua County, Florida — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Alachua-Holden Pond are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Alachua-Holden Pond

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Water Temperature

Alachua-Holden Pond typically sits around 86°F at the surface in July. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 86°F) and coldest in Jan (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
55°
Feb
Mar
Apr
78°
May
Jun
Jul
86°
Aug
Sep
Oct
73°
Nov
Dec

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 11 field readings (20112017) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Alachua-Holden Pond water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~42 ft est.
Average Depth~10 ft est.
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Alachua-Holden Pond.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
Surface area
37 acres
Shoreline
0.9 mi
Elevation
102 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Holden Park Public Boat RampPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Alachua-Holden Pond

EPA Impairment Status

Alachua-Holden Pond is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Oxygen depletion (low DO)pH / acidity

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL2713C · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.11 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #23 of 31 lakes in Alachua County

Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades

Alachua-Holden Pond holds Grade D. 2 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.

Nearby Lakes in Alachua County

Frequently asked questions about Alachua-Holden Pond

Where is Alachua-Holden Pond?

Alachua-Holden Pond is a lake in Alachua County, Florida. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Alachua-Holden Pond?

Alachua-Holden Pond in Alachua County, Florida has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113 µg/L.

Is Alachua-Holden Pond safe to swim in?

Nutrients and algae run higher than average — check local advisories before swimming, and skip the water if you see scum. Alachua-Holden Pond has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

What is the water temperature of Alachua-Holden Pond?

Alachua-Holden Pond typically sits around 86°F at the surface in July, from 11 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2017). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Alachua-Holden Pond?

No published bathymetric survey covers Alachua-Holden Pond, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Are there boat ramps on Alachua-Holden Pond?

Alachua-Holden Pond has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Holden Park Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

12 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • FLORIDA LAKEWATCH21FLKWAT_WQX12 samples · 2020
Monitoring station identifiers (3)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory