Buck Lake
Highlands County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Buck Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Buck Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 3 µg/L.
Buck Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 72 other monitored lakes in Highlands County, Buck Lake ranks #10 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-11-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Buck Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.8 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Buck Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Buck Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Buck Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Buck Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.8 ft. Phosphorus 3 µg/L. TSI 30.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 30 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Buck Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Buck Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 86°F) and coldest in Feb (about 67°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (67°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 85 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Buck Lake water temperature breakdown →
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Buck Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Buck Lake in Highlands County, Florida — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Buck Lake
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Fishing Buck Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.76 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Buck Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1932I · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Buck Lake
Where is Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake is a lake in Highlands County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 3 µg/L.
Is Buck Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Buck Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in September, from 85 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Buck Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
23 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples23 samples · 2023–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database