Polk-Shipp Lake
Polk County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Polk-Shipp Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Public access
Polk-Shipp Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32.5 µg/L.
Polk-Shipp Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Polk County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 176 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Polk-Shipp Lake ranks #44 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-02-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Polk-Shipp Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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-Shipp Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Polk-Shipp 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-Shipp Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Polk-Shipp 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 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 32.5 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 32.5µg/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. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Polk-Shipp Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Lake Shipp ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Polk-Shipp Lake
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Fishing Polk-Shipp Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.3 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Polk-Shipp 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: Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1521D · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Polk-Shipp Lake
Where is Polk-Shipp Lake?
- Polk-Shipp 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-Shipp Lake?
- Polk-Shipp Lake in Polk County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32.5 µg/L.
Is Polk-Shipp Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Polk-Shipp Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Polk-Shipp Lake?
- Polk-Shipp Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Shipp Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Polk-Shipp Lake?
- Polk-Shipp Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Explore Polk-Shipp Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
105 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_WQX105 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory