Highlands-Lelia Lake
Highlands County, Florida176 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Highlands-Lelia Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
Highlands-Lelia Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Surface area: 176 acres.
Highlands-Lelia Lake is a 176-acre mesotrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 72 other monitored lakes in Highlands County, Highlands-Lelia Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Highlands-Lelia Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Highlands-Lelia 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-Lelia Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Highlands-Lelia 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 4 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4ft | 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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Highlands-Lelia Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
176 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Highlands-Lelia Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Lake Lelia (Gator Lake) Public Boat RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Highlands-Lelia Lake
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Fishing Highlands-Lelia Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.95 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Highlands-Lelia Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Glenda Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Lake Lelia; earth-type dam, 9 ft tall and 80 ft long.
- Surface area
- 176 ac
- Normal storage
- 352 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 975 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- SOUTH FLORIDA COMMUNITY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL25500 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.81 km)
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Highlands-Lelia Lake
Where is Highlands-Lelia Lake?
- Highlands-Lelia 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-Lelia Lake?
- Highlands-Lelia Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Surface area: 176 acres.
Is Highlands-Lelia Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Highlands-Lelia Lake?
- Highlands-Lelia Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Lelia (Gator Lake) Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Highlands-Lelia Lake?
- Highlands-Lelia Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Highlands-Lelia Lake across LakeQuality
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Mesotrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
132 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_WQX132 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory