Orange-Bessie Lake
Orange County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Orange-Bessie Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
Orange-Bessie Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Orange-Bessie Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Orange County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 319 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Orange-Bessie Lake ranks #49 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-06-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Orange-Bessie Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.3 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: low
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, Orange-Bessie Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 29 samples across 8 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 Orange-Bessie 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 Orange-Bessie Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Orange-Bessie Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12.3 ft. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/L | Good 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Orange-Bessie Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Orange-Bessie Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 88°F) and coldest in Feb (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 (88°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 57 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Orange-Bessie Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Orange-Bessie Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Orange-Bessie Lake in Orange 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Orange-Bessie Lake
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Fishing Orange-Bessie Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.37 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Orange-Bessie Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3170T · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Orange-Bessie Lake
Where is Orange-Bessie Lake?
- Orange-Bessie Lake is a lake in Orange County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Orange-Bessie Lake?
- Orange-Bessie Lake in Orange County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Is Orange-Bessie Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Orange-Bessie Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 29 samples across 8 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 Orange-Bessie Lake 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 Orange-Bessie Lake?
- Orange-Bessie Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in October, from 57 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Orange-Bessie Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
122 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX122 samples · 2020–2024
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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database