Lake Palestine
Smith County, TexasView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Palestine. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- Public access
Lake Palestine in Smith County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 48 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 56.5 µg/L.
Lake Palestine is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Smith County, Texas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 11 public boat landings. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Smith County, Lake Palestine ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Palestine has 11 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Palestine on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Palestine is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch11 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Palestine is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Palestine 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 Palestine
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Palestine, 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 2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 48 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 56.5 µg/L. TSI 66.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 48µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 56.5µg/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. | 66 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Palestine
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Palestine water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Recreation & Access
- Saline BayPublic
- Brookshire's Recreation ParkPublic
- Cherokee LandingPublic
- Beacon PointPublic
- Pinehaven Park DrivePublic
- Lakeway Harbor DrivePublic
Showing 6 of 11 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
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 Palestine
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Palestine in Smith 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 Palestine are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Palestine
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 Palestine → · more Texas lake trips
Follow Lake Palestine’s readings
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Fishing Lake Palestine
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Palestine 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-0605_11 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Smith County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Palestine
Where is Lake Palestine?
- Lake Palestine is a lake in Smith County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Palestine?
- Lake Palestine in Smith County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 48 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 56.5 µg/L.
Is Lake Palestine safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Palestine is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Palestine?
- Lake Palestine has 11 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Saline Bay, Brookshire's Recreation Park, Cherokee Landing, Beacon Point, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Palestine?
- Lake Palestine has 11 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 Palestine across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
346 measurements from 13 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN246 samples · 2020–2025 - USGS Texas Water Science Center
USGS-TX100 samples · 2020–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (13)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory