Bessie Lake
Orange County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Bessie Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Bessie Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6 µg/L.
Bessie Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Orange County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 319 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Bessie Lake ranks #210 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-02-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bessie Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- 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. Bessie Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bessie 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 Bessie Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Bessie Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 6 µg/L. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 6µg/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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bessie Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Lake Down 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 Bessie Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bessie 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 Bessie Lake
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Fishing Bessie Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.03 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Bessie 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3170T · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Bessie Lake
Where is Bessie Lake?
- Bessie 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 Bessie Lake?
- Bessie Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 6 µg/L.
Is Bessie Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bessie Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Bessie Lake?
- Bessie Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Down Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bessie Lake?
- Bessie 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 Bessie Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
65 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 samples2 samples · 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory