Hillsborough-Pretty Lake
Hillsborough-Pretty Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29 µg/L. Surface area: 284 acres.
- Clarity
- 4 ft
- Typical in August
- 85°F
- Max depth
- ~17 ft est.
- Area
- 284 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Trend
- → Stable
Next lake in Hillsborough County
Swipe left or right on this bar to open the next or previous lake.
Hillsborough-Pretty Lake is a 284-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hillsborough County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 17 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2022. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 123 other monitored lakes in Hillsborough County, Hillsborough-Pretty Lake ranks #21 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2022-12-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Watch Hillsborough-Pretty Lake water quality
Subscribe for LakeQuality updates by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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 4 ft. Phosphorus level: 29 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 55.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 4 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 29 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 55 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Where to stay near Hillsborough-Pretty Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hillsborough-Pretty 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Hillsborough-Pretty Lake
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →
Water Temperature
Hillsborough-Pretty Lake typically sits around 85°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 84°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 85°F) and coldest in Jan (about 58°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 125 field readings (2010–2012) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hillsborough-Pretty Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~17 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~7 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 284 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-Pretty 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-Pretty Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.321 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1.14 µg/L/yr | 6 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hillsborough-Pretty Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Pretty Water Conservation Structure, built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Lake Armistead/Rocky Creek; other-type dam, 5 ft tall and 32.83 ft long.
- Surface area
- 284 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,016 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,016 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- SWFWMD
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL12026 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.8 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Hillsborough-Pretty 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 FL1515 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.92 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #21 of 124 lakes in Hillsborough County
Nearby Lakes in Hillsborough County
Frequently asked questions about Hillsborough-Pretty Lake
Where is Hillsborough-Pretty Lake?
- Hillsborough-Pretty 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-Pretty Lake?
- Hillsborough-Pretty Lake in Hillsborough County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29 µg/L. Surface area: 284 acres.
Is Hillsborough-Pretty Lake safe to swim in?
- Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels. Hillsborough-Pretty Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
What is the water temperature of Hillsborough-Pretty Lake?
- Hillsborough-Pretty Lake typically sits around 85°F at the surface in August, from 125 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2012). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hillsborough-Pretty Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hillsborough-Pretty Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 17 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 284 acres.
Explore Hillsborough-Pretty Lake across LakeQuality
More Florida Lake Rankings
Other Grade B Lakes in Florida
Eutrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
102 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX102 samples · 2020–2022
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)