Lake Richmond
Orange County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Richmond. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Lake Richmond in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 69 µg/L.
Lake Richmond is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Orange County, Florida. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 319 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Lake Richmond ranks #296 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Richmond on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
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 Richmond frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 12% of 25 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 Richmond 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 Richmond
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Richmond, 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 69 µg/L. TSI 71.
| 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 | 69µg/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. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Richmond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Richmond typically sits around 75°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 87°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 (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 76 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Richmond water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Richmond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Richmond 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 Richmond are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Richmond
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 →
Follow Lake Richmond’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Lake Richmond
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+6.07 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Richmond 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3169G6 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Richmond
Where is Lake Richmond?
- Lake Richmond 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 Richmond?
- Lake Richmond in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 69 µg/L.
Is Lake Richmond safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Lake Richmond frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 12% of 25 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 Richmond 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 Richmond?
- Lake Richmond typically sits around 75°F at the surface in October, from 76 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Lake Richmond across LakeQuality
More lakes in Florida
Other Lakes in Florida
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
35 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples35 samples · 2020–2025
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