Lake Kemp
Baylor County, Texas16,540 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Kemp. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 109 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Kemp in Baylor County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.5 µg/L. Surface area: 16540 acres.
Lake Kemp is a 16,540-acre lake in Baylor County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 109 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 5 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2020-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 17,000 acres, Lake Kemp is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 5 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Kemp, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Kemp is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch5 documented ramps
- Big water16,540 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Kemp is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Kemp 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 Kemp
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Kemp, 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 3.7 ft. Phosphorus 9.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 9.5 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 9.5µg/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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Kemp
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Kemp water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~109 ft est.
Surface area
16,540 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 Kemp.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2,049 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
51.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,138 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
- Willingham Loop - Lake KempPublic
- Water Well Circle - Lake KempPublic
- Lake KempPublic
- Lake KempPublic
- US283 BridgePublic
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 Kemp
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Kemp in Baylor 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 Kemp
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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Kemp → · more Texas lake trips
Follow Lake Kemp’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Lake Kemp
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Kemp is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Kemp Dam (completed 1923), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Big Wichita River; earth-type dam, 115 ft tall and 8,890 ft long.
- Surface area
- 16,540 ac
- Normal storage
- 298,900 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,078,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2,086 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF WICHITA FALLS;WICHITA COUNTY WID 2
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Tailings;Irrigation;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX04358 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Kemp 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-0217_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Baylor County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Kemp
Where is Lake Kemp?
- Lake Kemp is a lake in Baylor County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Kemp?
- Lake Kemp in Baylor County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.5 µg/L. Surface area: 16540 acres.
Is Lake Kemp safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Kemp is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Kemp?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Kemp, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 109 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 16540 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Kemp?
- Lake Kemp has 5 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Willingham Loop - Lake Kemp, Water Well Circle - Lake Kemp, Lake Kemp, Lake Kemp, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Kemp?
- Lake Kemp has 5 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.
Explore Lake Kemp across LakeQuality
More lakes in Texas
Other Lakes in Texas
Mesotrophic Lakes in Texas
Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Texas Water Science Center
USGS-TX6 samples · 2020
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