Alachua-Holden Pond
Alachua County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Alachua-Holden Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Alachua-Holden Pond in Alachua County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113 µg/L.
Alachua-Holden Pond is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Alachua County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. 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. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Alachua-Holden Pond is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Alachua-Holden Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Alachua-Holden Pond is safe to swim in today is a call for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Alachua-Holden Pond
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Alachua-Holden Pond, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 113 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 113µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Alachua-Holden Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Alachua-Holden Pond typically sits around 73°F at the surface in October. 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.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 11 field readings (2011–2017) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Alachua-Holden Pond water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
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
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
37 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
0.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
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
- Holden Park Public Boat RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays 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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Alachua-Holden Pond are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Alachua-Holden Pond
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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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
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL2713C · Official waterbody report
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. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Alachua-Holden Pond?
- Alachua-Holden Pond in Alachua County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113 µg/L.
Is Alachua-Holden Pond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Alachua-Holden Pond is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Alachua-Holden Pond?
- Alachua-Holden Pond typically sits around 73°F at the surface in October, 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.
Can I fish at Alachua-Holden Pond?
- Alachua-Holden Pond has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Alachua-Holden Pond across LakeQuality
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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 LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX12 samples · 2020
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from 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