Putnam-Cowpen Lake
Putnam County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Putnam-Cowpen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 30 ft max depth
- Limited data
Putnam-Cowpen Lake in Putnam County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L.
Putnam-Cowpen Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Putnam County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 27 other monitored lakes in Putnam County, Putnam-Cowpen Lake ranks #13 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2022-07-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Putnam-Cowpen Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Putnam-Cowpen Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Putnam-Cowpen 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 Putnam-Cowpen Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Putnam-Cowpen 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 6.3 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Putnam-Cowpen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~30 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 Putnam-Cowpen Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
381 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
95 ft
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.
Recreation & Access
- Cowpen Lake - Race Street Public AccessSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing Putnam-Cowpen Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.5 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Putnam-Cowpen 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: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL2723A · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Putnam County
Frequently asked questions about Putnam-Cowpen Lake
Where is Putnam-Cowpen Lake?
- Putnam-Cowpen Lake is a lake in Putnam County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Putnam-Cowpen Lake?
- Putnam-Cowpen Lake in Putnam County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L.
Is Putnam-Cowpen Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Putnam-Cowpen Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Putnam-Cowpen Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Putnam-Cowpen Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 30 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Putnam-Cowpen Lake?
- Putnam-Cowpen Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cowpen Lake - Race Street Public Access.
Can I fish at Putnam-Cowpen Lake?
- Putnam-Cowpen 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.
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX32 samples · 2020–2022
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory