Buck Lake
Buck Lake in Orange County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 4.8 ft
- Typical in August
- 87°F
- Max depth
- ~48 ft est.
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Buck Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Orange County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 48 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 319 other monitored lakes in Orange County, Buck Lake ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-03-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Grade onlyBacteria B
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Based on E. coli testing, Buck Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 4% of 25 samples across 7 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Florida’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Murky, only visible to about 4.8 ft. Phosphorus level: 18 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 50.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 4.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 18 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 50 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Where to stay near Buck Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Buck Lake in Orange 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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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →
Water Temperature
Buck Lake typically sits around 87°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 84°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 87°F) and coldest in Dec (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 137 field readings (2010–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Buck Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~48 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~10 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Buck Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Buck Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.031 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +0.7 µg/L/yr | 4 |
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
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL3171C · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.13 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #18 of 320 lakes in Orange County
Nearby Lakes in Orange County
Frequently asked questions about Buck Lake
Where is Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake is a lake in Orange County, Florida. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake in Orange County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18 µg/L.
Is Buck Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Buck Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 4% of 25 samples across 7 seasons. That works out to a bacteria swim-safety grade of B — a historical summary of past testing, not a current reading. Buck Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so always check Florida's current beach and health-department advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Buck Lake?
- Buck Lake typically sits around 87°F at the surface in August, from 137 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Buck Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Buck Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 48 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Buck Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Canaveral?
Buck Lake is about 40 miles from Canaveral National Seashore. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Canaveral →More Florida Lake Rankings
Other Grade B Lakes in Florida
Eutrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
33 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples33 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)