Polk-Saddlebag Lake
Polk-Saddlebag Lake in Polk County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 10 ft
- Max depth
- ~27 ft est.
- Type
- Oligotrophic
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
Next lake in Polk County
Swipe left or right on this bar to open the next or previous lake.
Polk-Saddlebag Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Polk County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 27 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Polk-Saddlebag Lake ranks #92 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-04-23. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Watch Polk-Saddlebag Lake water quality
Subscribe for LakeQuality updates by email. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. Phosphorus level: 9 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 40.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 10 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 9 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 40 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water, excellent for swimming
Where to stay near Polk-Saddlebag Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Polk-Saddlebag 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Polk-Saddlebag Lake
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 →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~27 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~9 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Polk-Saddlebag Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Polk-Saddlebag Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.84 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -0.3 µg/L/yr | 4 |
County Ranking
Ranked #92 of 177 lakes in Polk County
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Polk-Saddlebag Lake
Where is Polk-Saddlebag Lake?
- Polk-Saddlebag Lake is a lake in Polk County, Florida. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Polk-Saddlebag Lake?
- Polk-Saddlebag Lake in Polk County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Is Polk-Saddlebag Lake safe to swim in?
- Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels. Polk-Saddlebag Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
How deep is Polk-Saddlebag Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Polk-Saddlebag Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 27 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Polk-Saddlebag Lake across LakeQuality
More Florida Lake Rankings
Other Grade B Lakes in Florida
Oligotrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
220 measurements from 6 monitoring stations, 2021–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX220 samples · 2021–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (6)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)