Hernando-Mountain Lake
Hernando County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Hernando-Mountain Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Hernando-Mountain Lake in Hernando County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 163 µg/L.
Hernando-Mountain Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Hernando County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Hernando County, Hernando-Mountain Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-01-28. 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. Hernando-Mountain Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hernando-Mountain 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 Hernando-Mountain Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Hernando-Mountain 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 2.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 163 µg/L. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 163µg/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. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
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Stays near Hernando-Mountain Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hernando-Mountain Lake in Hernando 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 Hernando-Mountain Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Hernando-Mountain Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+1.84 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Hernando-Mountain 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 FL1329Y · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hernando County
Frequently asked questions about Hernando-Mountain Lake
Where is Hernando-Mountain Lake?
- Hernando-Mountain Lake is a lake in Hernando County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hernando-Mountain Lake?
- Hernando-Mountain Lake in Hernando County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 163 µg/L.
Is Hernando-Mountain Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hernando-Mountain Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Hernando-Mountain Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
108 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX108 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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