Ruthlkecen Lake
Brevard County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Ruthlkecen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ruthlkecen Lake in Brevard County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 87.5 µg/L.
Ruthlkecen Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Brevard County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 10 other monitored lakes in Brevard County, Ruthlkecen Lake ranks #9 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2023-07-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ruthlkecen 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. Ruthlkecen Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ruthlkecen 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 Ruthlkecen Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Ruthlkecen 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 87.5 µg/L. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 87.5µg/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. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Ruthlkecen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ruthlkecen Lake typically sits around 82°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 87°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 89°F) and coldest in Mar (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (89°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 24 field readings (2019–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ruthlkecen Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~30 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Ruthlkecen Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
112 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
104 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
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
- Hatbill Park Sand RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ruthlkecen Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ruthlkecen Lake in Brevard 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 Ruthlkecen Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Ruthlkecen Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Ruthlkecen Lake → · more Florida lake trips
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Fishing Ruthlkecen Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4.36 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Ruthlkecen 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 FL2964C · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Brevard County
Frequently asked questions about Ruthlkecen Lake
Where is Ruthlkecen Lake?
- Ruthlkecen Lake is a lake in Brevard County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ruthlkecen Lake?
- Ruthlkecen Lake in Brevard County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 87.5 µg/L.
Is Ruthlkecen Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ruthlkecen Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Ruthlkecen Lake?
- Ruthlkecen Lake typically sits around 82°F at the surface in October, from 24 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2019–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ruthlkecen Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Ruthlkecen 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 Ruthlkecen Lake?
- Ruthlkecen Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hatbill Park Sand Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ruthlkecen Lake?
- Ruthlkecen 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 Ruthlkecen Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples22 samples · 2020–2023
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory