Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake
Polk County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 374 µg/L.
Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Polk County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake ranks #139 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-17. 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.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Polk-Gaskin'S Cut 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 Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Polk-Gaskin'S Cut 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 1.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 374 µg/L. TSI 81.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 374µg/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. | 81 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake
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Stays via Stay22
Stays near Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Polk-Gaskin'S Cut 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 Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+14.65 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake 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 FL1623X · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 2 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Mosaic Fertilizer, Llc - Green Bay Chemical PlantBartow · 4.2 mi away · NPDES FL0000752MajorRecent violation
- Mulberry Phosphogypsum Stack System ClosureMulberry · 3.5 mi away · NPDES FL0334944Major
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 Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake
Where is Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake?
- Polk-Gaskin'S Cut 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 Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake?
- Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 374 µg/L.
Is Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Polk-Gaskin'S Cut Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
284 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX284 samples · 2020–2025
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)