Marion-Buck Lake
Marion County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Marion-Buck Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 51 ft max depth
- Public access
Marion-Buck Lake in Marion County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Marion-Buck Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Marion County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 51 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 17 other monitored lakes in Marion County, Marion-Buck Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2025-01-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Marion-Buck Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Marion-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 Marion-Buck Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Marion-Buck Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Marion-Buck Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~51 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Marion-Buck Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
37 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
52 ft
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
- Buck Lake Recreation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Marion-Buck Lake
- Buck Lake Group Campground0.3 kmReserve
- Buck Lake0.3 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Marion-Buck Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Marion-Buck Lake
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Fishing Marion-Buck Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.86 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Marion County
Frequently asked questions about Marion-Buck Lake
Where is Marion-Buck Lake?
- Marion-Buck Lake is a lake in Marion County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Marion-Buck Lake?
- Marion-Buck Lake in Marion County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L.
Is Marion-Buck Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Marion-Buck Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Marion-Buck Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 51 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Marion-Buck Lake?
- Marion-Buck Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Buck Lake Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Marion-Buck Lake?
- Marion-Buck Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Marion-Buck Lake?
- Marion-Buck Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Buck Lake Group Campground, Buck Lake. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Marion-Buck Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
120 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX120 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles