Clay (Highlands County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Water Chemistry Summary

Location: Latitude 27°18'40", Longitude 81°20'54"

Period of record: 48 sampling dates; April 22, 1995 to December 2, 1999

Surface area (LAKEWATCH): 498 acres / 202 hectacres    (Bathymetric Map)

Lake Region (Griffith et al. 1997): Southern Lake Wales Ridge

Geologic formation (Brooks 1981):

The geology is dominated by deeply weathered beach and dune sand with some clay lenses of the preglacial Pleistocene.

Physiographic region (Brooks 1981):

The water body lies in the Eastern Complex of the Central Ridge subdivision of the Lake Wales Ridge division of the Central Lake District.
 
 

Supplemental, unpublished water chemistry data, University of Florida.

Numbers reported below are the average for 2 months sampled:

pH
6.9
 Sulfate (mg/L)
25.5
Total alkalinity (mg/L as CaCO3)
5.4
 Calcium (mg/L)
5.5
Conductance (µS/cm @ 25 °C)
159
 Magnesium (mg/L)
4.2
Color (Pt-Co units)
8
 Sodium (mg/L)
11.5
Chloride (mg/L)
24.0
 Potassium (mg/L)
8.8
Silicon (mg/L)
0.3
    

Long-term Florida LAKEWATCH Data

Numbers reported below are the minimum, average, and maximum value for the 48 months sampled:

 
Minimum
Average
Maximum
Long-term total phosphorus concentrations (µg/L)
6
12
19
Long-term total nitrogen concentrations (µg/L)
350
460
630
Long-term total chlorophyll concentrations (µg/L)
2.0
6.5
15.0
Long-term Secchi depth (ft)
6.3
9.6
15.5

1999 Florida LAKEWATCH Data

Numbers reported below are monthly averages calculated from 3 stations for total phosphorus (TP, µg/L), total nitrogen (TN, µg/L), chlorophyll (CHL, µg/L) and Secchi depth (SECCHI, ft) during 1999:

Date
TP (µg/L)
TN (µg/L)
CHL (µg/L)
SECCHI (ft
Feb-21-99
14
460
8.0
8.0
Mar-31-99
15
420
5.3
10.0
Apr-29-99
13
460
4.3
10.0
May-31-99
11
420
3.0
12.0
Jul-11-99
8
410
2.7
12.0
Sep-12-99
10
510
5.7
8.3
Oct-20-99
14
490
7.7
9.3
Dec-02-99
16
580
9.3
8.7
         
1999 Average
13
470
5.8
9.8

Clay (Highlands County)

Florida LAKEWATCH Aquatic Plant Summary

Aquatic plant data collected on August 7, 1996

Percent area covered with aquatic vegetation (PAC, %)
59
Percent of lake's volume filled with vegetation (PVI, %)
7
Average emergent plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
4.4
Average floating-leaved plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
4.7
Average submersed plant biomass (kg wet wt/m2)
2.8
Average width of emergent and floating-leaved zone (ft.)
99
Average lake depth (m)
3

Frequency that plant species occur in 10 evenly spaced transects around the lake.

Common Name Plant Species
Frequency (%)
torpedograss Panicum repens
90
tapegrass Vallisneria americana
80
respuinata bladderwort Utricularia resupinata
80
pickerelweed Pontederia cordata
70
stonewort Nitella spp.
70
fragrant water-lily Nymphaea odorata
60
water primrose Ludwigia octovalvis
60
maidencane Panicum hemitomon
60
rush fuirena Fuirena scirpoidea
50
cat-tail Typha spp.
40
water spinach Ipomoea aquatica
30
lemon bacopa Bacopa caroliniana
30
water-pennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
30
cone-spur bladderwort Utricularia gibba
30
Baldwin flat sedge Cyperus globulosus
30
red ludwigia Ludwigia repens
20
hydrilla Hydrilla verticillata
20
wax myrtle Myrica cerifera
20
water-lettuce Pistia stratiotes
10
floating water-hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes
10
alligator-weed Alternanthera philoxeroides
10
smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides
10
coontail Ceratophyllum demersum
10
purple bladderwort Utricularia purpurea
10
bog-moss Mayaca fluviatilis
10
southern naiad Najas guadalupensis
10
purple fanwort Cabomba pulcherrima
10
Brazilian pepper Schinus terebinthifolius
10
Australian pine Casuarina equisetifolia
10
melaleuca Melaleuca quinquenervia
10
willow Salix spp.
10
flat-sedge Cyperus odoratus
10
water spikerush Eleocharis elongata
10

Back to c lakes page