Polk-Otis Lake
Polk County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Polk-Otis Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Polk-Otis Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L.
Polk-Otis Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Polk County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Polk-Otis Lake ranks #13 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-08-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Polk-Otis 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-Otis Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Polk-Otis Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft. Phosphorus 23 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 23µg/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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Fishing Polk-Otis Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.04 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Polk-Otis Lake
Where is Polk-Otis Lake?
- Polk-Otis 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-Otis Lake?
- Polk-Otis Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L.
Is Polk-Otis Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Polk-Otis Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Florida
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Where this data comes from
237 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_WQX237 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.