Highlands-Red Beach Lake
Highlands County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Highlands-Red Beach Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Highlands-Red Beach Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L.
Highlands-Red Beach Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving 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-Red Beach Lake ranks #16 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-05-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Highlands-Red Beach 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. Highlands-Red Beach Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Highlands-Red Beach 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-Red Beach Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Highlands-Red Beach 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 3.5 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Highlands-Red Beach Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Highlands-Red Beach Lake typically sits around 76°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 86°F) and coldest in Feb (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2010–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Highlands-Red Beach Lake water temperature breakdown →
Recreation & Access
- Red Beach 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-Red Beach Lake
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Fishing Highlands-Red Beach Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.55 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Highlands-Red Beach 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 FL1891A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Highlands-Red Beach Lake
Where is Highlands-Red Beach Lake?
- Highlands-Red Beach 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-Red Beach Lake?
- Highlands-Red Beach Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L.
Is Highlands-Red Beach Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Highlands-Red Beach Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Highlands-Red Beach Lake?
- Highlands-Red Beach Lake typically sits around 76°F at the surface in October, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Are there boat ramps on Highlands-Red Beach Lake?
- Highlands-Red Beach Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Red Beach Lake Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Highlands-Red Beach Lake?
- Highlands-Red Beach 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.
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Where this data comes from
353 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_WQX353 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory