Lake Placid
Highlands County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Placid. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Lake Placid in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L.
Lake Placid is a lake in Highlands County, Florida. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-03-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Placid is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Placid 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 Placid
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Placid, 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 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Lake Placid
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.3 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Placid 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 FL1938C · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Placid
Where is Lake Placid?
- Lake Placid 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 Placid?
- Lake Placid in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L.
Is Lake Placid safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Placid is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples32 samples · 2023–2025
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