Lake Austelle
Cross County, Arkansas66 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Austelle. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Austelle in Cross County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17.5 µg/L. Surface area: 66 acres.
Lake Austelle is a 66-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cross County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2023-03-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Austelle is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 Austelle 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 Lake Austelle
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Lake Austelle, 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 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 17.5 µg/L. TSI 56.
| 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 | 30µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 17.5µg/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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Austelle
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Surface area
66 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 Lake Austelle.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
325 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
- Village Creek State Park - Lake AustellPublic
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 Austelle
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Austelle in Cross 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Austelle
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Fishing Lake Austelle
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2019–2022).
Phosphorus
Improving-16.07 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.13 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Austelle is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Austell (completed 1975), built primarily for recreation on the Willow Creek; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 960 ft long.
- Surface area
- 66 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,390 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,083 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Arkansas Department of Parks & Tourism
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR01285 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.15 km)
Nearby Lakes in Cross County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Austelle
Where is Lake Austelle?
- Lake Austelle is a lake in Cross County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Austelle?
- Lake Austelle in Cross County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17.5 µg/L. Surface area: 66 acres.
Is Lake Austelle safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Austelle?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Austelle, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 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 66 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Austelle?
- Lake Austelle has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Village Creek State Park - Lake Austell. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Austelle?
- Lake Austelle 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 Arkansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Austelle across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
52 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_WQX52 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