Lake Hardee
Hardee County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Hardee. Here is what has been measured.
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Hardee in Hardee County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 140 µg/L.
Lake Hardee is a lake in Hardee County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-07-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Hardee is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Hardee 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 Hardee
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Hardee, 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 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 140 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 140µg/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. | 68 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Hardee
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~43 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Lake Hardee.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
96 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
115 ft
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.
Recreation & Access
- Hardee Lakes Park #2Public
- Hardee Lakes Park #1Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Hardee
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Hardee in Hardee 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 Lake Hardee
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Fishing Lake Hardee
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake Hardee under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 5 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Mosaic Fertilizer, Llc - Hardee South Pasture MineWauchula · 2.8 mi away · NPDES FL0040177MajorRecent violation
- Mosaic Fertilizer, Llc - Ft Green Mine ComplexFort Green · 4.4 mi away · NPDES FL0027600MajorRecent violation
- Hardee Power Station Units 1 2Fort Green · 1.2 mi away · NPDES FL0041751Major
- Seci - Richard J. Midulla Generating StationFort Green · 1.4 mi away · NPDES FL0044229Major
- Mosaic Fertilizer, Llc - Hardee North Pasture MineWauchula · 2.8 mi away · NPDES FL0035271Major
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Hardee County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Hardee
Where is Lake Hardee?
- Lake Hardee is a lake in Hardee 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 Hardee?
- Lake Hardee in Hardee County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 140 µg/L.
Is Lake Hardee safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Hardee?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Hardee, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Hardee?
- Lake Hardee has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hardee Lakes Park #2, Hardee Lakes Park #1. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Hardee?
- Lake Hardee has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Hardee across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
2 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 samples2 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.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory