Lake Amon G Carter
Montague County, Texas1,540 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Amon G Carter. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 52 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Amon G Carter in Montague County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 40.1 µg/L. Surface area: 1540 acres.
Lake Amon G Carter is a 1,540-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Montague County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 52 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-08-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Amon G Carter is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,540 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Lake Amon G Carter 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 Lake Amon G Carter
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Amon G Carter, 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. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 40.1 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 40.1µg/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. | 63 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Amon G Carter
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Amon G Carter water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~52 ft est.
Surface area
1,540 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by TCEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Texas has not published bathymetry for Lake Amon G Carter.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
111 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
19.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
932 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
- Selma ParkPublic
- Big Sandy CreekPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Amon G Carter
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Amon G Carter in Montague 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Amon G Carter are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Amon G Carter
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake Amon G Carter
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.32 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.83 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Amon G Carter is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Amon G Carter Dam (completed 1956), built primarily for water supply on the Big Sandy Creek; earth-type dam, 80 ft tall and 1,750 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,540 ac
- Normal storage
- 28,600 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 102,250 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 100 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF BOWIE
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX00699 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Montague County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Amon G Carter
Where is Lake Amon G Carter?
- Lake Amon G Carter is a lake in Montague County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Amon G Carter?
- Lake Amon G Carter in Montague County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 40.1 µg/L. Surface area: 1540 acres.
Is Lake Amon G Carter safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Amon G Carter?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Amon G Carter, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 52 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 1540 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Amon G Carter?
- Lake Amon G Carter has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Selma Park, Big Sandy Creek. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Amon G Carter?
- Lake Amon G Carter has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Texas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Amon G Carter across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
70 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN70 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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