Lake Mackenzie
Briscoe County, Texas896 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Salinity / chlorides
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Mackenzie in Briscoe County, Texas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.9 µg/L. Surface area: 896 acres.
- Clarity
- 1.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~46 ft est.
- Area
- 896 acres
- Chlorophyll-a
- 3.9 µg/L
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Lake Mackenzie’s letter
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Why Lake Mackenzie has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Lake Mackenzie, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity and algae (chlorophyll-a), but not phosphorus.
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by TCEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Lake Mackenzie is a 896-acre lake in Briscoe County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2024-08-14. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Mackenzie is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Mackenzie is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Lake Mackenzie
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 3.9 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.9 µg/L | Not graded |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 56 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM from gauge 07298100 (MacKenzie Res nr Silverton, TX). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Lake Mackenzie water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~46 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 896 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
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 Mackenzie.
Lake Size & Watershed
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 MackenziePublic
- Mackenzie Reservoir BoatPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Lake Mackenzie
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Mackenzie is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Mackenzie Dam (completed 1974), built primarily for water supply on the Tule Creek; earth-type dam, 180 ft tall and 2,700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 896 ac
- Normal storage
- 46,077 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 69,249 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 188 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- MACKENZIE MWA
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX04316 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Mackenzie is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TX-0228_01 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Lake Mackenzie
Lake Mackenzie has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Briscoe County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Mackenzie
Where is Lake Mackenzie?
- Lake Mackenzie is a lake in Briscoe County, Texas. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Lake Mackenzie?
- Lake Mackenzie in Briscoe County, Texas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.9 µg/L. Surface area: 896 acres.
Is Lake Mackenzie safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Mackenzie is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Mackenzie?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Mackenzie, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 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 896 acres.
What is the water level at Lake Mackenzie?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Lake Mackenzie is 3018.84 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM at gauge 07298100. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Mackenzie?
- Lake Mackenzie has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Mackenzie, Mackenzie Reservoir Boat. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Lake Mackenzie across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN7 samples · 2020–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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