Below this are the unconsolidated clays and sands of the Hawthorn Group, through which water can penetrate, and below this the Ocala Limestone of the upper Floridan aquifer.

[5] The lake is fed from the north and northeast by shallow groundwater, which seeps out towards the west and south.

[3] The lake seems to have started to become more acidic around 1950 due to absorption of sulfate (SO4) created by industrial processes from the atmosphere.

Terrestrial amphibians, including the threatened gopher frog, use the lake as a breeding ground.

The National Ecological Observatory Network samples the lake for aquatic organisms such as surface water microbes, macroinvertebrates, and zooplankton.