Hillsborough-Estes Lake
Hillsborough County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Hillsborough-Estes Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Hillsborough-Estes Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 33 µg/L.
Hillsborough-Estes 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-Estes Lake ranks #70 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-04-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Hillsborough-Estes Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, impaired biota (cause unknown). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hillsborough-Estes 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-Estes Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Hillsborough-Estes Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 33 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 33µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Fishing Hillsborough-Estes Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.8 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Hillsborough-Estes Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1502A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hillsborough County
Frequently asked questions about Hillsborough-Estes Lake
Where is Hillsborough-Estes Lake?
- Hillsborough-Estes 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-Estes Lake?
- Hillsborough-Estes Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 33 µg/L.
Is Hillsborough-Estes Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hillsborough-Estes Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, impaired biota (cause unknown). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
91 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX91 samples · 2022–2024
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database