Bearhead Lake
Orange County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Bearhead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
Bearhead Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L.
Bearhead 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, Bearhead Lake ranks #92 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-01-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: low
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, Bearhead Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 4.8% of 21 samples across 6 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 Bearhead 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 Bearhead Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Bearhead Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bearhead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bearhead Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 87°F. Usually warmest in Jul (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 44 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bearhead Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bearhead Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bearhead 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.
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Fishing Bearhead Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.5 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Bearhead Lake 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 FL3168W · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Bearhead Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Central Florida Pipeline - Hydrostatic Test DischargesTaft · 2.2 mi away · NPDES FL0037711
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Bearhead Lake
Where is Bearhead Lake?
- Bearhead 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 Bearhead Lake?
- Bearhead Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L.
Is Bearhead Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Bearhead Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 4.8% of 21 samples across 6 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 Bearhead 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 Bearhead Lake?
- Bearhead Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in October, from 44 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Bearhead Lake across LakeQuality
2.6 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
73 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 samples63 samples · 2020–2025
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples10 samples · 2020–2024
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)