Harris Break Lake
Perry County, Arkansas1,240 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Harris Break Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 41 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Harris Break Lake in Perry County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31.5 µg/L. Surface area: 1240 acres.
Harris Break Lake is a 1,240-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Perry County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2023-03-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Harris Break Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water1,240 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Harris Break Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Harris Break Lake
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Harris Break Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 31.5 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 31.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 61 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Harris Break Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Surface area
1,240 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Arkansas DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for Harris Break Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
10 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
282 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
- ChittanPublic
- Vuris LandingPublic
- Harris Brake Lake ResortSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Harris Break Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Harris Break Lake in Perry County, Arkansas — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Harris Break Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Harris Break Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Harris Break Lake → · more Arkansas lake trips
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Fishing Harris Break Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.5 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-7.3 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Harris Break Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Harris Brake Dam (completed 1954), built primarily for recreation on the Coffee Creek; earth-type dam, 25 ft tall and 3,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,240 ac
- Normal storage
- 8,267 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 16,576 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00833 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.51 km)
Nearby Lakes in Perry County
Frequently asked questions about Harris Break Lake
Where is Harris Break Lake?
- Harris Break Lake is a lake in Perry County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Harris Break Lake?
- Harris Break Lake in Perry County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31.5 µg/L. Surface area: 1240 acres.
Is Harris Break Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Harris Break Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Harris Break Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 1240 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Harris Break Lake?
- Harris Break Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chittan, Vuris Landing, Harris Brake Lake Resort. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Harris Break Lake?
- Harris Break Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Arkansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Harris Break Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Hot Springs?
Harris Break Lake is about 36 miles from Hot Springs National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Hot Springs →More lakes in Arkansas
Other Lakes in Arkansas
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX40 samples · 2019–2023
Analytical methods
- 4500 P J ~ Persulfate Method for Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory