Lake Athens
Henderson County, Texas1,471 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
↓ down from B at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- #2 of 3 in the county
- 48 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Athens in Henderson County, Texas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.7 µg/L. Surface area: 1471 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.9 ft
- Max depth
- ~48 ft est.
- Area
- 1,471 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 20 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 13.7 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Watch Lake Athens’s letter
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Lake Athens is a 1,471-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Henderson County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 48 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Henderson County, Lake Athens ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-09-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Athens is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water1,471 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.7 µg/L. TSI 52. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 13.7 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM from gauge 08031290 (Lk Athens nr Athens, TX). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Lake Athens water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~48 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~41 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,471 acres |
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 Athens.
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
- Lake Athens Marina and RV ParkSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Lake Athens
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.086 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | -0.34 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.72 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Athens is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Athens Dam (completed 1963), built primarily for water supply on the Flat Creek; earth-type dam, 57 ft tall and 3,000 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,471 ac
- Normal storage
- 32,840 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 56,816 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 21.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- ATHENS MUNICIPAL WATER AUTHORITY
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX00182 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 3 lakes in Henderson County
Nearby Lakes in Henderson County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Athens
Where is Lake Athens?
- Lake Athens is a lake in Henderson County, Texas. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Lake Athens?
- Lake Athens in Henderson County, Texas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.7 µg/L. Surface area: 1471 acres.
Is Lake Athens safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Athens?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Athens, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 48 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 1471 acres.
What is the water level at Lake Athens?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Lake Athens is 439.03 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM at gauge 08031290. 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 Lake Athens?
- Lake Athens has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Athens Marina and RV Park.
Explore Lake Athens across LakeQuality
More Texas Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Texas
Eutrophic Lakes in Texas
Where this data comes from
53 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN53 samples · 2020–2025
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory