Lake of the Woods
Orange County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake of the Woods. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Lake of the Woods in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 110 µg/L.
Lake of the Woods is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Orange County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 319 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Lake of the Woods ranks #291 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-10-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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 of the Woods occasionally exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 8.7% of 23 samples across 6 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 of the Woods 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 of the Woods
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake of the Woods, 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 110 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 | 110µg/L | Poor 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. | 72 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake of the Woods
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake of the Woods typically sits around 76°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 83°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in Jan (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 60 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake of the Woods water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake of the Woods
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake of the Woods in Orange 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake of the Woods are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake of the Woods
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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 →
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Fishing Lake of the Woods
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.89 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake of the Woods is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3168W4 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Lake of the Woods
Where is Lake of the Woods?
- Lake of the Woods is a lake in Orange 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 of the Woods?
- Lake of the Woods in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 110 µg/L.
Is Lake of the Woods safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Lake of the Woods occasionally exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 8.7% of 23 samples across 6 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 of the Woods 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 of the Woods?
- Lake of the Woods typically sits around 76°F at the surface in October, from 60 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Lake of the Woods across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
35 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. 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
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database