Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake
Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Surface area: 431 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.5 ft
- Max depth
- ~46 ft est.
- Area
- 431 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake is a 431-acre mesotrophic lake in Hillsborough County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 123 other monitored lakes in Hillsborough County, Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-05-02. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft. Phosphorus level: 14 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 47.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 47 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Where to stay near Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake in Hillsborough 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.
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Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~46 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~7 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 431 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.503 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +1.03 µg/L/yr | 6 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Keystone Lake Water Conservation Structure, built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Keystone Lake; other-type dam, 6 ft tall and 24.25 ft long.
- Surface area
- 431 ac
- Normal storage
- 510 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,851 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- SWFWMD
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL12038 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.47 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1474A · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.36 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #8 of 124 lakes in Hillsborough County
Nearby Lakes in Hillsborough County
Frequently asked questions about Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake
Where is Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake?
- Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake is a lake in Hillsborough County, Florida. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake?
- Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Surface area: 431 acres.
Is Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake safe to swim in?
- Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels. Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
How deep is Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 431 acres.
Explore Hillsborough-Island Ford Lake across LakeQuality
More Florida Lake Rankings
Other Grade B Lakes in Florida
Mesotrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
340 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_WQX340 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)