San Carlos Bay

San Carlos Bay, covering 20,240 acres, is a tidal waterbody situated in Lee County, with the associated WBID(s): 2065H1, 3240O.

San Carlos Bay is located southwest of Fort Myers, at the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River. It connects to Pine Island Sound to the west and to Matlacha Pass to the north. San Carlos Bay is influenced by inputs from the Caloosahatchee River and Punta Rassa Pass to the south.

Note that this waterbody is impaired for one or more parameters including Mercury. All recreational marine waters in Florida are impaired for Mercury based on fish tissue assessments and a statewide Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) pollutant limit for Mercury has been adopted in response. The largest sources of Mercury are from air pollution generated from local and global power plants.

This waterbody is located within: Pine Island Sound Basin

This waterbody is impaired according to the Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection's (FDEP) implementation of the Impaired Waters Rule (IWR). The FDEP evaluates whether waters meet their designated uses, which include aquatic life use support, primary contact and recreation use support, fish and shellfish consumption use support, and drinking water use support. View the full impaired waters section »

Impairment Status

Impaired

Water Body Class(es)

2

Water Body Type(s)

ESTUARY

View Maps / Data

CHNEP's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) identified four action plans: water quality improvement; hydrological restoration; fish, wildlife, and habitat improvement; and public engagement. Click on the interactive maps below to view data associated with these goals and actions.

Water Quality

Hydrology

Wildlife/Habitats

Resiliency/Weather

Water Quality Snapshot

The Water Quality Snapshot compares the most current water quality data to applicable water quality standards for Chlorophyll a, Phosphorus, Nitrogen, Bacteria, and Dissolved Oxygen to provide a snapshot of how a waterbody is doing. Water quality standards are outlined in Florida Administrative Code 62-302 for fresh/marine waterbodies of different types and uses. A Water Body Identification number (WBID) is an assessment unit that is intended to represent Florida’s waterbodies at the watershed or sub-watershed scale. The assessment units are drainage basins, lakes, lake drainage areas, springs, rivers and streams, segments of rivers and streams, coastal, bay and estuarine waters in Florida.

Showing water quality snapshots for 1 out of 2 WBIDs. View data for all WBIDs

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2065H1 - SAN CARLOS BAY
Dissolved Oxygen Saturation
(percent (%))
Chart
Chart with 1 data point.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Data ranges from 0 to 100.
End of interactive chart.
WIN_21FLFTM
2/11/2025
Threshold: 42.00
Chlorophyll a, corrected
(µg/L)
Chart
Chart with 1 data point.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Data ranges from 0 to 30.
End of interactive chart.
WIN_21FLFTM
2/11/2025
Threshold: 3.70
Total Nitrogen
(mg/L)
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Chart with 1 data point.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Data ranges from 0 to 4.
End of interactive chart.
WIN_21FLFTM
2/11/2025
Threshold: 0.44
Total Phosphorus
(mg/L)
Chart
Chart with 1 data point.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Data ranges from 0 to 0.6.
End of interactive chart.
WIN_21FLFTM
2/11/2025
Threshold: 0.04
Fecal Coliform Bacteria
(cfu/100mL)
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Chart with 0 data points.
The chart has 1 Y axis displaying values. Data ranges from 0 to 100.
End of interactive chart.
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View Detailed Data About the Following Topics:

Water Quality(Red Tide, Nutrient Chemistry, Water Clarity, Salinity, Bacteria, Dissolved Oxygen, Other Indicators, Impaired Waters)

Habitats / Ecology(Seagrass Coverage, Artificial Reefs)

Recreation

Photos