Houston County Lake
Houston County, Texas1,282 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 39 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Houston County Lake in Houston County, Texas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.3 µg/L. Surface area: 1282 acres.
- Clarity
- 3 ft
- Max depth
- ~39 ft est.
- Area
- 1,282 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 30 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 19.3 µg/L
- Trend
- → Stable
- Public access
- Yes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Houston County Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Houston County Lake in Houston County, Texas — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Houston County Lake
Prices for Sep 11–13, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Houston County Lake → · more Texas lake trips
Watch Houston County Lake’s letter
Email me if this lake’s grade moves. Grades stay free.
Or email
Houston County Lake is a 1,282-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Houston County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 39 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 1 sampling years through 2026. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2026-01-21. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Houston County Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Big water1,282 acres
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Houston County Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.3 µg/L. TSI 58. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 30 µg/L | Not graded |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 19.3 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 58 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:15 PM from gauge 08065330 (Houston County Lk nr Crockett, TX). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Houston County Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~39 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~23 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,282 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 Houston County Lake.
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
- County BoatPublic
- Beaver RunPublic
- Sawmill RoadPublic
- Crockett Family ResortSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Houston County Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.06 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.76 µg/L/yr | 3 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Houston County Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Houston County Lake Dam (completed 1966), built primarily for water supply on the Little Elkhart Creek; earth-type dam, 51 ft tall and 1,700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,282 ac
- Normal storage
- 27,091 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 56,422 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 44 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- HOUSTON COUNTY WCID 1
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX03268 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Houston County 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-0813_01 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Houston County
Nearby Lakes in Houston County
Frequently asked questions about Houston County Lake
Where is Houston County Lake?
- Houston County Lake is a lake in Houston County, Texas. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Houston County Lake?
- Houston County Lake in Houston County, Texas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.3 µg/L. Surface area: 1282 acres.
Is Houston County Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Houston County Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Houston County Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Houston County Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 39 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 1282 acres.
What is the water level at Houston County Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Houston County Lake is 259.38 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:15 PM at gauge 08065330. 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 Houston County Lake?
- Houston County Lake has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include County Boat, Beaver Run, Sawmill Road, Crockett Family Resort. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Houston County Lake across LakeQuality
More Texas Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Texas
Eutrophic Lakes in Texas
Where this data comes from
48 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
TCEQMAIN48 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory