Hillsborough-Deer Lake
Hillsborough County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Hillsborough-Deer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Hillsborough-Deer Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L.
Hillsborough-Deer Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Hillsborough County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 123 other monitored lakes in Hillsborough County, Hillsborough-Deer Lake ranks #71 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2023-05-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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-Deer 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-Deer Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Hillsborough-Deer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.8 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Fishing Hillsborough-Deer Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.4 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Hillsborough County
Frequently asked questions about Hillsborough-Deer Lake
Where is Hillsborough-Deer Lake?
- Hillsborough-Deer 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-Deer Lake?
- Hillsborough-Deer Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L.
Is Hillsborough-Deer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Hillsborough-Deer Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
52 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX52 samples · 2022–2023
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.