Lake Houston
Harris County, TexasView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Houston. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Limited data
Lake Houston in Harris County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 780 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 26.2 µg/L.
Lake Houston is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Harris County, Texas. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Harris County, Lake Houston ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-03-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Houston 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 Houston
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Houston, 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 0.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 780 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 26.2 µg/L. TSI 83.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 780µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 26.2µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 83 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Houston
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Houston
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Houston in Harris 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 Houston are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Houston
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Fishing Lake Houston
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-118.33 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+9.73 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Harris County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Houston
Where is Lake Houston?
- Lake Houston is a lake in Harris County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Houston?
- Lake Houston in Harris County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 780 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 26.2 µg/L.
Is Lake Houston safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Lake Houston across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
33 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
TCEQMAIN33 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.