Lake Piney-Z
Leon County, Florida63 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Piney-Z. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Lake Piney-Z in Leon County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40.5 µg/L. Surface area: 63 acres.
Lake Piney-Z is a 63-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Leon County, Florida. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 58 other monitored lakes in Leon County, Lake Piney-Z ranks #17 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-10-29. 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 Piney-Z never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 30 samples across 7 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 Piney-Z 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 Piney-Z
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Piney-Z, 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 4.8 ft. Phosphorus 40.5 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40.5µg/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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Piney-Z
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Piney-Z typically sits around 73°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 88°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 90°F) and coldest in Jan (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (90°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 61 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Piney-Z water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
63 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Piney-Z, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Piney-Z
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Fishing Lake Piney-Z
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+6.27 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Piney-Z is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Piney"Z"Lake Dam (completed 1970), built primarily for recreation on the St Marks River; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall and 600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 63 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,003 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,129 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- PINEY "Z" ESTATE
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL00530 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Piney-Z 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 FL756B · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Leon County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Piney-Z
Where is Lake Piney-Z?
- Lake Piney-Z 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 Piney-Z?
- Lake Piney-Z in Leon County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40.5 µg/L. Surface area: 63 acres.
Is Lake Piney-Z safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Lake Piney-Z never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 30 samples across 7 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 Piney-Z 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 Piney-Z?
- Lake Piney-Z typically sits around 73°F at the surface in October, from 61 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
42 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 samples42 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