Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Lake San Marcos

San Diego County, California56 acresView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from SWRCB for this lake.

Area
56 acres
Surface area
Shoreline
3.6 mi
Measured length
  • Impaired · Ammonia
  • Limited data

Lake San Marcos in San Diego County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Surface area: 56 acres.

Loading map…

Lake San Marcos is a 56-acre lake in San Diego County, California.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake San Marcos is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for ammonia, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Lake San Marcos is safe to swim in today is a call for the California State Water Resources Control Board and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

Get alerts for Lake San Marcos →

Water quality measurements for Lake San Marcos

These are the measurements SWRCB publishes for Lake San Marcos, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data.

Ask about Lake San Marcos

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Surface area

56 acres

Shoreline

3.6 mi

No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake San Marcos, so its depth is not documented here.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lake San Marcos

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake San Marcos in San Diego County, California — 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 Lake San Marcos

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Follow Lake San Marcos’s readings

Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.


Or email

Fishing Lake San Marcos

EPA Impairment Status

Lake San Marcos is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

AmmoniaMetals (other than mercury)Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit CAL9045200019991117152408 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in San Diego County

Frequently asked questions about Lake San Marcos

Where is Lake San Marcos?

Lake San Marcos is a lake in San Diego County, California. Its water-quality measurements are published by SWRCB and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Lake San Marcos?

Lake San Marcos in San Diego County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Surface area: 56 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lake San Marcos safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake San Marcos is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for ammonia, metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

Measurements for Lake San Marcos come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database