Hillsborough-Crystal Lake
Hillsborough County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Hillsborough-Crystal Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Hillsborough-Crystal Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L.
Hillsborough-Crystal Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hillsborough County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 123 other monitored lakes in Hillsborough County, Hillsborough-Crystal Lake ranks #42 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-19. 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 Hillsborough-Crystal 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 Hillsborough-Crystal Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Hillsborough-Crystal 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 19 µg/L. TSI 53.
| 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 | 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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Hillsborough-Crystal Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Hillsborough-Crystal Lake typically sits around 80°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 88°F) and coldest in Mar (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 (88°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2015–2015) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hillsborough-Crystal Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hillsborough-Crystal Lake
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Fishing Hillsborough-Crystal Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.6 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Hillsborough County
Frequently asked questions about Hillsborough-Crystal Lake
Where is Hillsborough-Crystal Lake?
- Hillsborough-Crystal Lake is a lake in Hillsborough County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hillsborough-Crystal Lake?
- Hillsborough-Crystal Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L.
Is Hillsborough-Crystal 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 Hillsborough-Crystal Lake?
- Hillsborough-Crystal Lake typically sits around 80°F at the surface in October, from 29 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2015–2015). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
222 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_WQX222 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.