Highlands-August Lake
Highlands-August Lake in Highlands County, Florida has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
- Clarity
- 2.5 ft
- Typical in August
- 86°F
- Max depth
- ~55 ft est.
- Area
- 150 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
Grade D measures nutrients and algae, not whether this is a good place for a cabin trip. Cabins and rentals near Highlands-August Lake →
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Highlands-August Lake is a 150-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 55 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2023. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 72 other monitored lakes in Highlands County, Highlands-August Lake ranks #68 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2023-03-22. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Grade onlyElevated nutrients
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrients and algae run higher than average — check local advisories before swimming, and skip the water if you see scum
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus level: 65 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 64.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 2.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 65 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 64 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Where to stay near Highlands-August Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Highlands-August Lake in Highlands 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Highlands-August Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Highlands-August Lake
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →
Water Temperature
Highlands-August Lake typically sits around 86°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 86°F) and coldest in Feb (about 69°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Highlands-August Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~55 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~8 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 150 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Highlands-August Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Highlands-August Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.85 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -12.6 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Highlands-August Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake August, built primarily for recreation on the Lake August; earth-type dam, 17 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 150 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,800 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,950 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- LAKE PLACID HOLDING CO.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL00641 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.3 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Highlands-August Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1938B · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.59 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #68 of 73 lakes in Highlands County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Highlands-August Lake holds Grade D. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Highlands-August Lake
Where is Highlands-August Lake?
- Highlands-August Lake is a lake in Highlands County, Florida. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Highlands-August Lake?
- Highlands-August Lake in Highlands County, Florida has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
Is Highlands-August Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrients and algae run higher than average — check local advisories before swimming, and skip the water if you see scum. Highlands-August Lake has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
What is the water temperature of Highlands-August Lake?
- Highlands-August Lake typically sits around 86°F at the surface in August, from 29 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Highlands-August Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Highlands-August Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 55 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 150 acres.
Explore Highlands-August Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
81 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX81 samples · 2020–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)