Highlands-August Lake
Highlands County, Florida150 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Highlands-August Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 55 ft max depth
Highlands-August Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
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. 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. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Highlands-August 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-August Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Highlands-August 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 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 65 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 65µg/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. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Highlands-August Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Highlands-August Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in November. 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.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (69°F) to its warmest (86°F).
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
Max depth
~55 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
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
105 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays 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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Highlands-August Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Highlands-August Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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 →
Follow Highlands-August Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Highlands-August Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-12.6 µg/L/yr5 years
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)
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. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Highlands-August Lake?
- Highlands-August Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
Is Highlands-August Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Highlands-August Lake?
- Highlands-August Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in November, 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
More lakes in Florida
Other Lakes in Florida
Eutrophic Lakes in Florida
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)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)