Lake Meredith
Hutchinson County, Texas16,513 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
↑ up from B at the last regrade
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 119 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Meredith in Hutchinson County, Texas has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 5.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Surface area: 16513 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.3 ft
- Max depth
- ~119 ft est.
- Area
- 16,513 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 24 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 7 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Stays near Lake Meredith
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Watch Lake Meredith’s letter
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Lake Meredith is a 16,513-acre mesotrophic lake in Hutchinson County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 119 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2024-09-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Meredith is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch6 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water16,513 acres
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Lake Meredith is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Murky, only visible to about 5.3 ft. Phosphorus 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7 µg/L. TSI 51. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 24 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 51 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM from gauge 07227900 (Lk Meredith nr Sanford, TX). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Lake Meredith water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~119 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 16,513 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 Meredith.
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
- Blue CreekPublic
- Blue West CampgroundPublic
- Bugbee CreekPublic
- Fritch FortressPublic
- Cedar CanyonPublic
- Sanford-YakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Lake Meredith
- Sanford-Yake Campground0.4 km
- Sanford-Yake Campground0.5 km
- Fritch Fortress Campground4.4 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Fishing Lake Meredith
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -1.624 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +4.5 µg/L/yr | 3 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.55 µg/L/yr | 4 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Meredith is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sanford Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for recreation on the Canadian River; earth-type dam, 228 ft tall and 6,380 ft long.
- Surface area
- 16,513 ac
- Normal storage
- 945,400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,385,983 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7,895 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX00023 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Meredith 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-0102_01 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Hutchinson County
Nearby Lakes in Hutchinson County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Meredith
Where is Lake Meredith?
- Lake Meredith is a lake in Hutchinson County, Texas. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Lake Meredith?
- Lake Meredith in Hutchinson County, Texas has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 5.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 24 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7 µg/L. Surface area: 16513 acres.
Is Lake Meredith safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Lake Meredith is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Meredith?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Meredith, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 119 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 16513 acres.
What is the water level at Lake Meredith?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Lake Meredith is 2889.19 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM at gauge 07227900. 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 Meredith?
- Lake Meredith has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Blue Creek, Blue West Campground, Bugbee Creek, Fritch Fortress, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Are there campgrounds on Lake Meredith?
- Lake Meredith has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Sanford-Yake Campground, Sanford-Yake Campground, Fritch Fortress Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Lake Meredith across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Lake Meredith?
Lake Meredith is about 9 miles from Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Lake Meredith →More Texas Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Texas
Mesotrophic Lakes in Texas
Where this data comes from
37 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Texas Water Science Center
USGS-TX25 samples · 2020–2023 - Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN12 samples · 2022–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles