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LakeQuality

Sarasota-Vaas Lake

Sarasota County, FloridaView mapDirections

Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Sarasota-Vaas Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
1.7 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2022
Phosphorus
402.5 µg/L
More phosphorus than most
Measured by Florida DEP
Type
Hypereutrophic
Trophic class
  • Hypereutrophic
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Sarasota-Vaas Lake in Sarasota County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 402.5 µg/L.

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Sarasota-Vaas Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sarasota County, Florida. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 29 other monitored lakes in Sarasota County, Sarasota-Vaas Lake ranks #24 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2022-04-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Sarasota-Vaas 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.

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Water quality measurements for Sarasota-Vaas Lake

These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Sarasota-Vaas 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 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 402.5 µg/L. TSI 80.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)1.7ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus403µg/LPoor
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.80Hypereutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ask about Sarasota-Vaas Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Sarasota-Vaas Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sarasota-Vaas 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 Sarasota-Vaas Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Sarasota-Vaas Lake

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Fishing Sarasota-Vaas Lake

Nearby Lakes in Sarasota County

Frequently asked questions about Sarasota-Vaas Lake

Where is Sarasota-Vaas Lake?

Sarasota-Vaas 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 Sarasota-Vaas Lake?

Sarasota-Vaas Lake in Sarasota County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 402.5 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Sarasota-Vaas Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Can I fish at Sarasota-Vaas Lake?

Public access to Sarasota-Vaas Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.

Where this data comes from

45 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • FLORIDA LAKEWATCH21FLKWAT_WQX45 samples · 2021–2022
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.