Lake Athens
Henderson County, Texas1,471 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Athens. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 48 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Athens in Henderson County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.7 µg/L. Surface area: 1471 acres.
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. 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. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Athens covers about 1,500 acres in Henderson County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Athens, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Athens is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water1,471 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 Lake Athens 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 Athens
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Athens, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.7 µg/L. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.7µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Athens
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Athens water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~48 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
Watershed (drainage) area
22 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
14.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
449 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
- 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
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Athens
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Athens in Henderson 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 Lake Athens
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 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 whole trip? See where to stay at Texas’s top lakes →
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Fishing Lake Athens
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.34 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.72 µg/L/yr5 years
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
Nearby Lakes in Henderson County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Athens
Where is Lake Athens?
- Lake Athens is a lake in Henderson County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Athens?
- Lake Athens in Henderson County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. 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?
- Nutrient and algae readings are 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.
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.
Can I fish at Lake Athens?
- Lake Athens has 1 documented boat landing 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 Athens across LakeQuality
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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)
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