Ellison Creek Reservoir
Morris County, Texas1,516 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Ellison Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Dioxins
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ask about Ellison Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Ellison Creek Reservoir in Morris County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Surface area: 1516 acres.
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Ellison Creek Reservoir is a 1,516-acre lake in Morris County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2023-02-07. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Ellison Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Big water1,516 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ellison Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for dioxins, pCBs, total toxics. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ellison Creek Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Ellison Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Ellison Creek Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility. TSI 65.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 2.3 ft | Measured, not scored |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 65 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~42 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~31 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,516 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Texas has not published bathymetry for Ellison Creek Reservoir.
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
- Lone Star City ParkPublic
- Lone Star Park LandingPublic
- FM 2231 BridgePublic
- Scenic View Motel & RV ParkSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Ellison Creek Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ellison Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ellison Creek Dam (completed 1943), built primarily for recreation on the Brutons Creek; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 5,800 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,516 ac
- Normal storage
- 24,400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 44,685 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 44.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- US STEEL TUBULAR PRODUCTS LLC
All listed purposes: Recreation;Other.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX04010 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Ellison Creek Reservoir 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-0404A_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Morris County
Frequently asked questions about Ellison Creek Reservoir
Where is Ellison Creek Reservoir?
- Ellison Creek Reservoir is a lake in Morris County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ellison Creek Reservoir?
- Ellison Creek Reservoir in Morris County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Surface area: 1516 acres.
Is Ellison Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ellison Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for dioxins, pCBs, total toxics. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ellison Creek Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Ellison Creek Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 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 1516 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Ellison Creek Reservoir?
- Ellison Creek Reservoir has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lone Star City Park, Lone Star Park Landing, FM 2231 Bridge, Scenic View Motel & RV Park. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN9 samples · 2020–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
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