Clay-Deer Lake
Clay County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Clay-Deer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Clay-Deer Lake in Clay County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L.
Clay-Deer Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Clay County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 16 other monitored lakes in Clay County, Clay-Deer Lake ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Clay-Deer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20 ft of visibility
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Clay-Deer 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 Clay-Deer Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Clay-Deer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Clay-Deer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Clay-Deer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Clay-Deer Lake in Clay 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 Clay-Deer Lake
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Fishing Clay-Deer Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.7 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Clay County
Frequently asked questions about Clay-Deer Lake
Where is Clay-Deer Lake?
- Clay-Deer Lake is a lake in Clay County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Clay-Deer Lake?
- Clay-Deer Lake in Clay County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L.
Is Clay-Deer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Clay-Deer Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Castillo de San Marcos?
Clay-Deer Lake is about 38 miles from Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Castillo de San Marcos →More lakes in Florida
Other Lakes in Florida
Oligotrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
166 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX166 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.