Lake Gibson
Polk County, Florida474 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Gibson. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Lake Gibson in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 105 µg/L. Surface area: 474 acres.
Lake Gibson is a 474-acre lake in Polk County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-07-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Gibson 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 Lake Gibson
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Gibson, 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 105 µg/L. TSI 72.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 105µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| 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. | 72 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Gibson
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
474 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Gibson, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Lake Gibson
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5.56 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Gibson is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gibson Dam (completed 1969), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Lake Gibson; earth-type dam, 7 ft tall and 24 ft long.
- Surface area
- 474 ac
- Normal storage
- 724 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,032 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2,752 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- SWFWMD
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL13402 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Gibson
Where is Lake Gibson?
- Lake Gibson is a lake in Polk County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Gibson?
- Lake Gibson in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 105 µg/L. Surface area: 474 acres.
Is Lake Gibson safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples12 samples · 2024
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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.