Highlands-Pythias Lake
Highlands County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Highlands-Pythias Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 38 ft max depth
Highlands-Pythias Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L.
Highlands-Pythias Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 38 feet. Compared to the 72 other monitored lakes in Highlands County, Highlands-Pythias Lake ranks #36 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-23. 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Highlands-Pythias 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-Pythias Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Highlands-Pythias 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 5.4 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/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. | 50 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Highlands-Pythias Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Highlands-Pythias Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in January. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 86°F) and coldest in Feb (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 45 field readings (2010–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Highlands-Pythias Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~38 ft est.
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-Pythias Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
10 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
247 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
89 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-Pythias Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Highlands-Pythias 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Highlands-Pythias 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-Pythias Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Highlands-Pythias Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.05 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Highlands-Pythias Lake
Where is Highlands-Pythias Lake?
- Highlands-Pythias 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-Pythias Lake?
- Highlands-Pythias Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L.
Is Highlands-Pythias 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-Pythias Lake?
- Highlands-Pythias Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in January, from 45 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Highlands-Pythias Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Highlands-Pythias Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 38 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Highlands-Pythias Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Florida
Other Lakes in Florida
Mesotrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
111 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_WQX111 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)