Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
Polk County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 236 µg/L.
Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Polk County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake ranks #158 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-08-18. 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.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ft Meade Pit Sw 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 Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Ft Meade Pit Sw 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 1.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 236 µg/L. TSI 76.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 236µg/L | Poor 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. | 76 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 87°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 88°F) and coldest in Jan (about 65°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (65°F) to its warmest (88°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 61 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake in Polk 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
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Fishing Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-3.96 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Ft Meade Pit Sw 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, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1623Z · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 2 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- U S Agri-Chemicals Corporation - Ft Meade Chemical PlantFort Meade · 3 mi away · NPDES FL0001902MajorRecent violation
- Imc Phosphates Co. - Noralyn/PBartow · 3.6 mi away · NPDES FL0000230Major
- Novaphos Development, LlcFort Meade · 2.6 mi away · NPDES FL0757471
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 Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake
Where is Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake?
- Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake is a lake in Polk County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake?
- Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 236 µg/L.
Is Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake?
- Ft Meade Pit Sw Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in October, from 61 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
50 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples50 samples · 2020–2025
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)