Lake Hiawatha
Leon County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Hiawatha. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- Limited data
Lake Hiawatha in Leon County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.2 µg/L.
Lake Hiawatha is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Leon County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 58 other monitored lakes in Leon County, Lake Hiawatha ranks #14 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: low
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Lake Hiawatha never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 55 samples across 8 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Florida’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Lake Hiawatha 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 Hiawatha
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Hiawatha, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 16.2 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16.2µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Hiawatha
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Hiawatha typically sits around 77°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 87°F) and coldest in Jan (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 94 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Hiawatha water temperature breakdown →
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Stays near Lake Hiawatha
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Fishing Lake Hiawatha
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.25 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Hiawatha is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4C).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL878C · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Leon County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Hiawatha
Where is Lake Hiawatha?
- Lake Hiawatha is a lake in Leon 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 Hiawatha?
- Lake Hiawatha in Leon County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.2 µg/L.
Is Lake Hiawatha safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Lake Hiawatha never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 55 samples across 8 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Lake Hiawatha is safe to swim in today is a call for Florida's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake Hiawatha?
- Lake Hiawatha typically sits around 77°F at the surface in October, from 94 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
53 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples35 samples · 2020–2024
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples18 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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