Environmental Advisory – Lake Sue
On February 24, 2022, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) tested water samples from Lake Sue and determined that potentially unsafe concentrations of toxins are present in the lake. Lake Sue is comprised of homeowners within Orange County, City of Winter Park, and City of Orlando jurisdictional boundaries. In this effort, all entities are advising citizens to refrain from swimming, recreating and irrigating in/ from Lake Sue until further notice.
Collectively, the community can make a positive impact on our water quality in the lakes. Stormwater collects pollutants before flowing into our lakes. Here are some things you can do to help: fertilizing properly, bagging yard waste, picking up your pets' waste, maintaining your septic system, and checking your vehicle for leaks.
Specifically for Lake Sue, the City of Orlando continues efforts to help minimize the negative impacts on the lake by street sweeping, collecting and analyzing water samples, and educating the public. The City of Winter Park surveys the lake, collects monthly water samples, and manages invasive aquatic vegetation. Orange County also performs street sweeping and analyzes the collected water samples from the City of Winter Park for nutrient chemistry, water clarity, bacteria, and field readings.
For reference, cyanobacteria/blue-green algae are always present in the water, however, not all bacteria have the ability to produce toxins. Toxicity is hard to predict because a single species of algae can have toxic and non-toxic strains. Nothing can be done to treat algae blooms without causing massive fish kills. In the coming weeks, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) will continue to sample Lake Sue. When additional information is received on the status of the lake from FDEP’s Algal Bloom Dashboard (floridadep.gov/AlgalBloom), all alerts will be updated.
Please encourage your neighbors to register for the City of Orlando Lake Alert at orlando.gov/lakealert and Orange County alerts at
