Lake Lelia
Highlands County, Florida176 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Lelia. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Lake Lelia in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 176 acres.
Lake Lelia is a 176-acre lake in Highlands County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2022-07-11. 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 Lelia 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 Lelia
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Lelia, 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 10 µg/L. TSI 48.
| 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 | 10µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Lelia
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Lelia typically sits around 81°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 82°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in Dec (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2014–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Lelia water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
176 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Lelia, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Lelia
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Fishing Lake Lelia
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.95 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Lelia is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Glenda Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Lake Lelia; earth-type dam, 9 ft tall and 80 ft long.
- Surface area
- 176 ac
- Normal storage
- 352 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 975 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- SOUTH FLORIDA COMMUNITY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL25500 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.78 km)
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Lelia
Where is Lake Lelia?
- Lake Lelia is a lake in Highlands 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 Lelia?
- Lake Lelia in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 176 acres.
Is Lake Lelia safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake Lelia?
- Lake Lelia typically sits around 81°F at the surface in October, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2014–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Lake Lelia across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples2 samples · 2022
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.