Red Bug Slough Lake
Sarasota County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Red Bug Slough Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Red Bug Slough Lake in Sarasota County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 141 µg/L.
Red Bug Slough Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sarasota County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Sarasota County, Red Bug Slough Lake ranks #30 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-07-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Red Bug Slough Lake routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 60% of 95 samples across 8 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Florida’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Red Bug Slough 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 Red Bug Slough Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Red Bug Slough Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 141 µg/L. TSI 76.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 141µg/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. | 76 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Red Bug Slough Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Red Bug Slough Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 87°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 88°F) and coldest in Jan (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (88°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 107 field readings (2016–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Red Bug Slough Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Red Bug Slough Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Red Bug Slough Lake in Sarasota 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 Red Bug Slough Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Red Bug Slough Lake
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Fishing Red Bug Slough Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4.47 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Red Bug Slough 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.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1971 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sarasota County
Frequently asked questions about Red Bug Slough Lake
Where is Red Bug Slough Lake?
- Red Bug Slough Lake is a lake in Sarasota County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Red Bug Slough Lake?
- Red Bug Slough Lake in Sarasota County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 141 µg/L.
Is Red Bug Slough Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Red Bug Slough Lake routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 60% of 95 samples across 8 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Red Bug Slough Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Florida's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Red Bug Slough Lake?
- Red Bug Slough Lake typically sits around 79°F at the surface in October, from 107 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
68 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples68 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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