Morton-Col Lake
Polk County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Morton-Col Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Morton-Col Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 82.5 µg/L.
Morton-Col Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Polk County, Florida. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Morton-Col Lake ranks #159 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-09-03. 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.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Morton-Col Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Morton-Col 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 Morton-Col Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Morton-Col 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 82.5 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 82.5µg/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. | 70 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Morton-Col Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Morton-Col Lake typically sits around 80°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 87°F) and coldest in Dec (about 67°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (67°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 52 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Morton-Col Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Morton-Col Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Morton-Col Lake 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Morton-Col Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Morton-Col Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Morton-Col Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.36 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Morton-Col Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1497H · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Morton-Col Lake
Where is Morton-Col Lake?
- Morton-Col Lake 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 Morton-Col Lake?
- Morton-Col Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 82.5 µg/L.
Is Morton-Col Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Morton-Col Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Morton-Col Lake?
- Morton-Col Lake typically sits around 80°F at the surface in October, from 52 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
50 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples50 samples · 2020–2025
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