The lakes of the greater Winter Haven area are considered some of its most important natural assets. The utilization of these water bodies by visitors and residents alike have cemented their role as economic, social, and ecological resources. Given this, one of the primary objectives of the City's Natural Resources Division is to monitor their overall wellness and to implement best management practices that will ensure the continued enjoyment of their benefits by our diverse user groups.

The City of Winter Haven's Lakes Report Story Map is intended as a companion piece to the full, detailed report on the Division website. The Story Map presents Lake-Specific Water Quality Management Plans (see figure). These plans give a summary of the current state of individual lakes, current management strategies, issues facing lakes, and future planned management actions.

Winter Haven's hydrology is rainfall-driven with no external flow ways feeding our lakes and waterways. Rainfall and surface level are subject to seasonal fluctuations corresponding to the wet & dry seasons, as well as longer-term annual fluctuations of drought and excess rainfall. Click on the image below to open the City of Winter Haven's Hydrology Dashboard displaying the long-term surface levels and distribution and morphology of the lake.

A lake's biological community plays a big role in nutrient concentrations, clarity, and overall lake health. Click on the images below to open interactive panels presenting the biological or vegetation data on our lakes, from the City of Winter Haven's Aquatic Vegetation Monitoring Program. This data gives us some insight into how lakes are responding over time, and the different ecological communities at play across the 39 lakes included in this study. The monitoring program began in 2016, so broad-scale comparative conclusions are not to be taken as definite. The key metrics of note that go into the index scoring are the invasive percentage, diversity increases, and overall percent area coverage.