Manatee-Ward Lake
Manatee County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Manatee-Ward Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Manatee-Ward Lake in Manatee County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 155 µg/L.
Manatee-Ward Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Manatee County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Manatee County, Manatee-Ward Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2021-12-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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 Manatee-Ward Lake 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 Manatee-Ward Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Manatee-Ward Lake, 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 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 155 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 155µg/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. | 68 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Manatee-Ward Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Manatee-Ward Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Manatee-Ward Lake in Manatee 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 Manatee-Ward Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Manatee-Ward Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+7.75 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Manatee County
Frequently asked questions about Manatee-Ward Lake
Where is Manatee-Ward Lake?
- Manatee-Ward Lake is a lake in Manatee County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Manatee-Ward Lake?
- Manatee-Ward Lake in Manatee County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 155 µg/L.
Is Manatee-Ward Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Manatee-Ward Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Florida
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Eutrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX40 samples · 2020–2021
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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.