Lake Smart
Polk County, Florida1,820 acresView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Smart. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Lake Smart in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Surface area: 1820 acres.
Lake Smart is a 1,820-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Polk County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Lake Smart ranks #100 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2023-08-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Smart is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water1,820 acres
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 Smart is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Smart 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 Smart
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Smart, 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 2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 31 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 31µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Smart
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Smart typically sits around 91°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 88°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 91°F) and coldest in Apr (about 77°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (77°F) to its warmest (91°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 10 field readings (2017–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Smart water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
1,820 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Smart, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Smart
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Smart in Polk 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.
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Fishing Lake Smart
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3.56 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Smart is a man-made reservoir impounded by the P-6 (completed 1965), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the P6 Canal; other-type dam, 22 ft tall and 46 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,820 ac
- Normal storage
- 21,294 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,550 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- SWFWMD
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL13000 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Smart 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 FL1488A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Smart
Where is Lake Smart?
- Lake Smart is a lake in Polk 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 Smart?
- Lake Smart in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Surface area: 1820 acres.
Is Lake Smart safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Smart is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake Smart?
- Lake Smart typically sits around 91°F at the surface in August, from 10 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2017–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Lake Smart across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples12 samples · 2023
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