Lake Tarpon

---

title: "Lake Tarpon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["lakes-of-florida", "lakes-of-pinellas-county,-florida"] description: "Lake in the state of Florida, United States" topic_path: "general/lakes-of-florida" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tarpon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Lake in the state of Florida, United States ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox body of water"]

Field	Value
name	Lake Tarpon
location	Pinellas County, Florida
coords
catchment	52 sqmi
basin_countries	United States
area	2500 acre
pushpin_map	Florida#USA
pushpin_map_alt	Location of Lake Tarpon in Florida, USA.
::

| name = Lake Tarpon | image = | caption = | image_bathymetry = | caption_bathymetry = | location = Pinellas County, Florida | coords = | type = | inflow = | outflow = | catchment = 52 sqmi | basin_countries = United States | length = | width = | area = 2500 acre | depth = | max-depth = | volume = | residence_time = | shore = | elevation = | islands = | cities = | pushpin_map = Florida#USA | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Tarpon in Florida, USA. | pushpin_map_caption = | website = | reference = Lake Tarpon is a freshwater lake located about 10 mi west of Tampa in Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs, Florida. Lake Tarpon is the largest freshwater lake in Pinellas County with a surface area of 2534 acre. Its watershed encompasses 52 sqmi. Its two largest tributaries are South Creek and Brooker Creek. The lake is a regional recreational destination and is renowned for its largemouth bass fishing.

Although Lake Tarpon is designated as a fishing lake, it fails to meet the EPA's standards, and is therefore listed as an impaired lake due to its excessive nutrients and resulting low dissolved oxygen levels. The lake underwent increasing eutrophication during the 1990s, following a large algal bloom in 1987. Although initial studies determined that the lake was not polluted, studies in the following years noted a decline in the lake's water quality.

References

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Lake_Tarpon_-_John_Chestnut_Park.jpg" caption="Lake Tarpon from John Chestnut Sr. Park" alt="Photo shows a lake."] ::

References

1. "Lake Tarpon {{!}} FWC".
2. "Lake Tarpon Watershed".
3. "Lake Tarpon {{!}} Lake Details".
4. (January 2006). "Lake Tarpon Drainage Basin Management Plan Update". Pinellas County Department of Environmental Management.
5. Landry, Sue. (April 3, 1992). "Lake Tarpon not polluted, study shows". [[Tampa Bay Times]].
6. (July 2001). "Lake Tarpon SWIM Plan".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::