Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Pinellas-Winston Lake

Pinellas County, FloridaView mapDirections

Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Pinellas-Winston Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
2.1 ft
Typical for Florida
Secchi · sampled 2025
Phosphorus
82 µg/L
More phosphorus than most
Measured by Florida DEP
Type
Eutrophic
Trophic class
  • Eutrophic
  • Public access

Pinellas-Winston Lake in Pinellas County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 82 µg/L.

Loading map…

Pinellas-Winston Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Pinellas County, Florida. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 33 other monitored lakes in Pinellas County, Pinellas-Winston Lake ranks #24 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Elevated 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 Pinellas-Winston 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.

Get alerts for Pinellas-Winston Lake →

Water quality measurements for Pinellas-Winston Lake

These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Pinellas-Winston 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 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 82 µg/L. TSI 67.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)2.1ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus82µg/LPoor
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.67Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Pinellas-Winston Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Pinellas-Winston Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pinellas-Winston Lake in Pinellas 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 Pinellas-Winston Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Pinellas-Winston Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →

Follow Pinellas-Winston Lake’s readings

Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.


Or email

Fishing Pinellas-Winston Lake

3 seasons of samples on record (2022–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

  • Water clarity

    Improving

    3 years

  • Phosphorus

    Worsening

    +7 µg/L/yr3 years

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Pinellas-Winston Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.

  • Bridgeway Acres Class I Landfill
    St Petersburg · 2 mi away · NPDES FL0168505

Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.

Nearby Lakes in Pinellas County

Frequently asked questions about Pinellas-Winston Lake

Where is Pinellas-Winston Lake?

Pinellas-Winston Lake is a lake in Pinellas County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Pinellas-Winston Lake?

Pinellas-Winston Lake in Pinellas County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 82 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Pinellas-Winston Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Can I fish at Pinellas-Winston Lake?

Public access to Pinellas-Winston 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.

Where this data comes from

190 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • FLORIDA LAKEWATCH21FLKWAT_WQX190 samples · 2021–2025
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

Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)