Lake Starr
Polk County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Starr. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 35 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Starr in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Lake Starr is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Polk County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Lake Starr ranks #98 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-08-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Starr is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.7 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Starr 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 Starr
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Lake Starr, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.7 ft. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lake Starr
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Starr typically sits around 75°F at the surface in November. Summer average is about 88°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 88°F) and coldest in Feb (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (88°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 40 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Starr water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~35 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Lake Starr.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
116 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
105 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Starr
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Starr 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Starr
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Follow Lake Starr’s readings
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Fishing Lake Starr
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.14 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Starr
Where is Lake Starr?
- Lake Starr 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 Starr?
- Lake Starr in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Is Lake Starr safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake Starr?
- Lake Starr typically sits around 75°F at the surface in November, from 40 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lake Starr?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Starr, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Lake Starr across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
30 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 samples30 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)