Dead Lake
Gulf County, Florida2,985 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Dead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 248 ft max depth
- Public access
Dead Lake in Gulf County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25.5 µg/L. Surface area: 2985 acres.
Dead Lake is a 2,985-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Gulf County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 248 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Gulf County, Dead Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2022-11-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Dead Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Big water2,985 acres
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. Dead Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Dead 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 Dead Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Dead Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 25.5 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 25.5µg/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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Dead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Dead Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 84°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 86°F) and coldest in Jan (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 48 field readings (2012–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Dead Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~248 ft est.
Surface area
2,985 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Dead Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1,253 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
26.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
20 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Gaskin Park Public Boat RampPublic
- Land's Landing Public Boat RampPublic
- White Oak LandingPublic
- Beards / Cox Landing Pay RampSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Dead Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Dead Lake in Gulf 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 Dead Lake
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Fishing Dead Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+8.75 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Dead Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Dead Lakes Dam (completed 1962), built primarily for recreation on the Chipola River; other-type dam, 22 ft tall and 820 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,985 ac
- Normal storage
- 34,800 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 40,600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- GULF COUNTY TOURIST DEVELOPMENT COUNTY
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL00103 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.03 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Dead 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 FL51A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Gulf County
Frequently asked questions about Dead Lake
Where is Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake is a lake in Gulf County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake in Gulf County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25.5 µg/L. Surface area: 2985 acres.
Is Dead Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Dead Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in October, from 48 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Dead Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Dead Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 248 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 2985 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Gaskin Park Public Boat Ramp, Land's Landing Public Boat Ramp, White Oak Landing, Beards / Cox Landing Pay Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Dead Lake?
- Dead Lake has 4 documented boat landings 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 Dead Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
30 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples30 samples · 2020–2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory