Resumo. AIM: The main objective of this work is to describe the changes in water characteristics of a shallow subtropical lake, in periods with and without growing of macrophytes, related to periods of clear-macrophyte dominance and turbid-phytoplankton dominance states. METHODS: The study was conducted in Biguás Lake, in the south coastal plain of Brazil (32° 04' 43" S and 52° 10' 03" W). Samplings were carried out monthly between October 2000 and November 2013. The limnological variables measured in the water column were dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), chlorophyll-a, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP) and suspended material (SM). Data were grouped according to periods with macrophyte growth dominance (MD) and without macrophytes, with phytoplankton dominance (PD), and applied t- tests among TP, TN, Chlorophyll-a and SM. During macrophyte growth we estimated the coverage (%) and biomass variation of plants. RESULTS: Over the 13 years, the lake was well oxygenated, alkaline, and with a temperature variation according to subtropical seasonality. The lower values of all of the limnological variables were verified during periods of macrophyte growth, characterizing periods of clear and turbid waters. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of aquatic macrophytes in improving water quality in this shallow lake during the studied period, reducing nutrient concentrations, chlorophyll-a and suspended material in water, favoring the maintenance of a clear water state, was verified.