LAKE TARPON WATERSHED

Lake Tarpon is the largest lake in Pinellas County with a surface area of four square miles. Its watershed encompasses 52 square miles including the two largest tributaries, South Creek and Brooker Creek. The lake is a valuable regional recreational destination and is renowned for its largemouth bass fishing. 

Pinellas County and Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) staffs have been sampling the lake for water quality parameters since May of 1988, following a lake-wide algae bloom in 1987.  Declining water quality led to the formation of a multi-agency committee to address lake water quality issues.

In October of 1998, the Lake Tarpon Drainage Basin Management Plan, prepared for Pinellas County by PBS&J consultants (PBS&J, 1998), was released.  The plan featured a list of goals that addressed water quality, aquatic vegetation, habitat, and fisheries.  SWFWMD also designated Lake Tarpon a Surface Water and Improvement Management (SWIM) priority water body.

For more information on Lake Tarpon contact Sue Myers, Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management at: 727- 464-4425.