Middle of Lake Francis
Madison County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Middle of Lake Francis. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
Middle of Lake Francis in Madison County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135 µg/L.
Middle of Lake Francis is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Madison County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Madison County, Middle of Lake Francis ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-07-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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, Middle of Lake Francis routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 30% of 10 samples across 2 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 Middle of Lake Francis 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 Middle of Lake Francis
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Middle of Lake Francis, 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 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 135 µg/L. TSI 72.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 135µg/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. | 72 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Middle of Lake Francis
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Middle of Lake Francis typically sits around 73°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 88°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 89°F) and coldest in Jan (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (89°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2011–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Middle of Lake Francis water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Middle of Lake Francis
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Middle of Lake Francis in Madison 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 Middle of Lake Francis are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Middle of Lake Francis
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Middle of Lake Francis
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5.84 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Middle of Lake Francis 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3366A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Madison County
Frequently asked questions about Middle of Lake Francis
Where is Middle of Lake Francis?
- Middle of Lake Francis is a lake in Madison County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Middle of Lake Francis?
- Middle of Lake Francis in Madison County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135 µg/L.
Is Middle of Lake Francis safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Middle of Lake Francis routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 30% of 10 samples across 2 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 Middle of Lake Francis 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 Middle of Lake Francis?
- Middle of Lake Francis typically sits around 73°F at the surface in October, from 29 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
17 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples17 samples · 2024–2025
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