Monroe-Desbiens Lake
Monroe County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Monroe-Desbiens Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Public access
Monroe-Desbiens Lake in Monroe County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 267 µg/L.
Monroe-Desbiens Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Monroe County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Monroe County, Monroe-Desbiens Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-12-06. 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 Monroe-Desbiens 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 Monroe-Desbiens Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Monroe-Desbiens 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 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 267 µg/L. TSI 74.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 267µg/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. | 74 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
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Stays near Monroe-Desbiens Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Monroe-Desbiens Lake in Monroe 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 Monroe-Desbiens Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Monroe-Desbiens Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-6.15 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Monroe County
Frequently asked questions about Monroe-Desbiens Lake
Where is Monroe-Desbiens Lake?
- Monroe-Desbiens Lake is a lake in Monroe County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Monroe-Desbiens Lake?
- Monroe-Desbiens Lake in Monroe County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 267 µg/L.
Is Monroe-Desbiens Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Monroe-Desbiens Lake?
- Public access to Monroe-Desbiens Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX23 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.