Bay Lake
Orange County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Bay Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
Bay Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L.
Bay Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Orange County, Florida. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 319 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Bay Lake ranks #33 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Bay Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 50 samples across 8 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Florida’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether 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 Bay Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for 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 8.6 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bay Lake typically sits around 80°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 87°F) and coldest in Jan (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 136 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bay Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bay Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bay Lake in Orange 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Bay Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Bay Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+8 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
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, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3004G · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Bay Lake
Where is Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake is a lake in Orange County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L.
Is Bay Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Bay Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 50 samples across 8 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Bay Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Florida's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bay Lake?
- Bay Lake typically sits around 80°F at the surface in October, from 136 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
88 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples51 samples · 2020–2025
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples37 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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