Highlands-Apthorpe Lake
Highlands County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Highlands-Apthorpe Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
Highlands-Apthorpe Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L.
Highlands-Apthorpe Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida. Compared to the 72 other monitored lakes in Highlands County, Highlands-Apthorpe Lake ranks #21 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-12-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Highlands-Apthorpe Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Highlands-Apthorpe 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 Highlands-Apthorpe Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Highlands-Apthorpe Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Fishing Highlands-Apthorpe Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.2 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Highlands-Apthorpe 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 FL1932G · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Highlands-Apthorpe Lake
Where is Highlands-Apthorpe Lake?
- Highlands-Apthorpe Lake is a lake in Highlands County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Highlands-Apthorpe Lake?
- Highlands-Apthorpe Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L.
Is Highlands-Apthorpe Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Highlands-Apthorpe Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
150 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX150 samples · 2020–2024
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