Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake
Alachua County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake in Alachua County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L.
Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Alachua County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. 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-Melrose Bay Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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-Melrose Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake 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-Melrose Bay Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good 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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Melrose 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-Melrose Bay Lake
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Fishing Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.36 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3605G · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Alachua County
Frequently asked questions about Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake
Where is Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake?
- Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake 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-Melrose Bay Lake?
- Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake in Alachua County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L.
Is Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake?
- Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Melrose Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake?
- Alachua-Melrose Bay Lake 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-Melrose Bay Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
324 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX324 samples · 2020–2025
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory