Ward Lake
Manatee County, Florida20 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Florida DEP for this lake.
- Public access
- Limited data
Ward Lake in Manatee County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Surface area: 20 acres.
Ward Lake is a 20-acre lake in Manatee County, Florida. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-05-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Ward Lake covers about 20 acres in Manatee County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Ward Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Ward Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ward 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 Ward Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Ward 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.
Ask about Ward Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Ward Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Surface area
20 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Ward Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Jiggs LandingPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ward Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ward Lake in Manatee 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Ward 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.
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Fishing Ward Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+7.75 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ward Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ward Lake Dam (completed 1973), built primarily for water supply on the Braden River; earth-type dam, 12 ft tall and 850 ft long.
- Surface area
- 20 ac
- Normal storage
- 240 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 240 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- CITY OF BRADENTON
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL00281 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Manatee County
Frequently asked questions about Ward Lake
Where is Ward Lake?
- Ward Lake is a lake in Manatee County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ward Lake?
- Ward Lake in Manatee County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Surface area: 20 acres.
Is Ward Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Ward Lake?
- Ward Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Jiggs Landing. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ward Lake?
- Ward 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
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples2 samples · 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory