F

Ward Lake

Manatee County, FloridaHypereutrophic

Ward Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Manatee County, Florida. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Compared to the 10 other monitored lakes in Manatee County, Ward Lake ranks #11 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Florida DNR, last sampled 2025-05-19. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

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Swimming Safety

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins

Water Quality Grade: F, Very Poor

Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus level: 200 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 74.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	2 ft	F
Phosphorus	200 µg/L	F
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)	74	Hypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #11 of 11 lakes in Manatee County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Ward Lake holds Grade F. 4 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Manatee County

Manatee-Ward Lake

Sarasota County

Sarasota-Lake-G

Sarasota County

Sarasota-Lake-M

Sarasota County

Sarasota-Uplands Lake

Sarasota County

More Florida Lake Rankings

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Top 25 by overall water quality score

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Grade A/B + low algae filter

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Panfish-rich, public access

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Other Grade F Lakes in Florida

Polk-Little Bass Lake

Polk County · Clarity: 1.3 ft

Polk-Big Bass Lake

Polk County · Clarity: 1 ft

Alachua-Wauberg Lake

Alachua County · Clarity: 2.4 ft

Hillsborough County · Clarity: 1.3 ft

Volusia Lake George @ N of Center

Volusia County · Clarity: 2 ft

Brevard County · Clarity: 1.6 ft

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Florida

Polk-Little Bass Lake Alicetst Lake Polk-Big Bass Lake Lake Roberta

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

71 sq mi

Surface area

166 acres

Mean depth (est.)

9.8 ft

Shoreline

2.8 mi

Elevation

0 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth is a modeled estimate.

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Most recent sample: 2025-05-19

Monitoring stations: 1

Where to stay near Ward Lake

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