Hernando-Hunter Lake
Hernando-Hunter Lake in Hernando County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Surface area: 349 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.3 ft
- Typical in August
- 85°F
- Max depth
- ~25 ft est.
- Area
- 349 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Hernando-Hunter Lake is a 349-acre mesotrophic lake in Hernando County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 25 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Hernando County, Hernando-Hunter Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-11-08. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
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.
Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Murky, only visible to about 6.3 ft. Phosphorus level: 14 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 46.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 46 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Where to stay near Hernando-Hunter Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hernando-Hunter Lake in Hernando 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.
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Water Temperature
Hernando-Hunter Lake typically sits around 85°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 85°F) and coldest in Feb (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 28 field readings (2010–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hernando-Hunter Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~25 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 349 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Hernando-Hunter 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.
Recreation & Access
- Norfleet Fish CampSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Hernando-Hunter Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -1.167 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +1 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hernando-Hunter Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Baffin Waterway System Control Stucture, built primarily for water supply on the Hunters Lake; other-type dam, 9 ft tall and 80 ft long.
- Surface area
- 349 ac
- Normal storage
- 354 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,747 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- HERNANDO COUNTY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID FL17001 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.91 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Hernando-Hunter Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1391 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.2 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 9 lakes in Hernando County
Nearby Lakes in Hernando County
Frequently asked questions about Hernando-Hunter Lake
Where is Hernando-Hunter Lake?
- Hernando-Hunter Lake is a lake in Hernando County, Florida. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Hernando-Hunter Lake?
- Hernando-Hunter Lake in Hernando County, Florida has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Surface area: 349 acres.
Is Hernando-Hunter Lake safe to swim in?
- Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels. Hernando-Hunter Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
What is the water temperature of Hernando-Hunter Lake?
- Hernando-Hunter Lake typically sits around 85°F at the surface in August, from 28 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hernando-Hunter Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hernando-Hunter Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 25 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 349 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Hernando-Hunter Lake?
- Hernando-Hunter Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Norfleet Fish Camp.
Explore Hernando-Hunter Lake across LakeQuality
5.4 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Where this data comes from
51 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX51 samples · 2020–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory