Little Orange Lake South Shore
Alachua County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Orange Lake South Shore. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Little Orange Lake South Shore in Alachua County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 170 µg/L.
Little Orange Lake South Shore is a lake in Alachua County, Florida.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2020-08-05. 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. Little Orange Lake South Shore is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Orange Lake South Shore 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 Little Orange Lake South Shore
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Little Orange Lake South Shore, 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 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 170 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 170µg/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. | 70 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Fishing Little Orange Lake South Shore
EPA Impairment Status
Little Orange Lake South Shore 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 FL2713D · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Alachua County
Frequently asked questions about Little Orange Lake South Shore
Where is Little Orange Lake South Shore?
- Little Orange Lake South Shore is a lake in Alachua County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Orange Lake South Shore?
- Little Orange Lake South Shore in Alachua County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 170 µg/L.
Is Little Orange Lake South Shore safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Orange Lake South Shore is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FL Dept. of Environmental Protection, Northeast District
21FLA_WQX2 samples · 2020
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