Lake Graham
Young County, Texas1,900 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Graham. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 49 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Graham in Young County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.4 µg/L. Surface area: 1900 acres.
Lake Graham is a 1,900-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Young County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 49 feet. Overall water quality 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 2025-08-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Graham is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,900 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. Lake Graham is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Graham 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 Graham
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Graham, 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 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 16.4 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | 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) | 16.4µg/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. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Graham
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Graham water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~49 ft est.
Surface area
1,900 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 Graham.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
173 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
15.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,083 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
- Graham SouthPublic
- McKinley LanePublic
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 Graham
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Graham in Young 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 Graham are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Graham
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Graham → · more Texas lake trips
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Fishing Lake Graham
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+5 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.98 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Graham is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Graham Dam (completed 1959), built primarily for water supply on the Salt Creek; earth-type dam, 82 ft tall and 4,300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,900 ac
- Normal storage
- 39,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 105,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 42 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF GRAHAM
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Other.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX03945 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Graham is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TX-1231_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Young County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Graham
Where is Lake Graham?
- Lake Graham is a lake in Young County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Graham?
- Lake Graham in Young County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.4 µg/L. Surface area: 1900 acres.
Is Lake Graham safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Graham is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Graham?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Graham, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 49 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 1900 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Graham?
- Lake Graham has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Graham South, McKinley Lane. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Graham?
- Lake Graham 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.
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Where this data comes from
35 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
TCEQMAIN35 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
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