Lake Okeechobee
Palm Beach County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Okeechobee. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 160 µg/L.
Lake Okeechobee is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Palm Beach County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Palm Beach County, Lake Okeechobee ranks #15 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-06-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Okeechobee has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Okeechobee, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Okeechobee is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Okeechobee is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Okeechobee 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 Okeechobee
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Okeechobee, 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 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 160 µg/L. TSI 77.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 160µg/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. | 77 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Okeechobee
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Canal Point Public Boat RampPublic
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 Okeechobee
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach 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 Okeechobee are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Okeechobee
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake Okeechobee
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-17.91 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Okeechobee 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, Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3212G · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Palm Beach County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Okeechobee
Where is Lake Okeechobee?
- Lake Okeechobee is a lake in Palm Beach 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 Okeechobee?
- Lake Okeechobee in Palm Beach County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 160 µg/L.
Is Lake Okeechobee safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Okeechobee is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Okeechobee?
- Lake Okeechobee has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Canal Point Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Okeechobee?
- Lake Okeechobee has 1 documented boat landing 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.
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 7 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples40 samples · 2021–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (7)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory