Canyon Lake
Comal County, Texas8,308 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Canyon Lake in Comal County, Texas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.8 µg/L. Surface area: 8308 acres.
- Clarity
- 10.8 ft
- Area
- 8,308 acres
- Chlorophyll-a
- 0.8 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Canyon Lake’s letter
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Why Canyon Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Canyon Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity and algae (chlorophyll-a), but not phosphorus.
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by TCEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Canyon Lake is a 8,308-acre lake in Comal County, Texas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 17 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2026-04-01. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Canyon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch17 documented ramps
- Big water8,308 acres
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Canyon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Canyon Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Good clarity, visible to about 10.8 ft. Chlorophyll-a 0.8 µg/L. TSI 35.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 10.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 0.8 µg/L | Not graded |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 35 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:15 PM from gauge 08167700 (Canyon Lk nr New Braunfels, TX). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Canyon Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 8,308 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Canyon Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Jacobs Creek Recreation ParkPublic
- Canyon Lake 16Public
- Canyon Lake 18 - 3Public
- Canyon Lake 23Public
- Canyon Lake 8Public
- Canyon Lake 7Public
Showing 6 of 17 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Canyon Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -1.4 m/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Canyon Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Canyon Lake Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Guadalupe River; earth-type dam, 224 ft tall and 210 ft long.
- Surface area
- 8,308 ac
- Normal storage
- 378,900 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,208,350 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,425 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Fort Worth District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX00004 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Canyon Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TX-1805_04 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Canyon Lake
Canyon Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Comal County
Frequently asked questions about Canyon Lake
Where is Canyon Lake?
- Canyon Lake is a lake in Comal County, Texas. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Canyon Lake?
- Canyon Lake in Comal County, Texas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.8 µg/L. Surface area: 8308 acres.
Is Canyon Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Canyon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water level at Canyon Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Canyon Lake is 908.98 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:15 PM at gauge 08167700. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Canyon Lake?
- Canyon Lake has 17 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Jacobs Creek Recreation Park, Canyon Lake 16, Canyon Lake 18 - 3, Canyon Lake 23, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Canyon Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
12 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Texas's top lakes, each with its grade
Texas's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked
More Texas Lake Rankings
Other Lakes in Texas
Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN15 samples · 2020–2026
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory