Lake Palo Pinto
Palo Pinto County, Texas2,661 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Palo Pinto. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Palo Pinto in Palo Pinto County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.6 µg/L. Surface area: 2661 acres.
Lake Palo Pinto is a 2,661-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Palo Pinto County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Palo Pinto is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water2,661 acres
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 Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Palo Pinto, 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 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13.6 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 13.6µg/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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Palo Pinto
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Palo Pinto water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~46 ft est.
Surface area
2,661 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 Palo Pinto.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
475 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
15.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
876 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
- FM 2692Public
- Love Ramp RoadPublic
- FM 3137Public
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 Palo Pinto
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Palo Pinto in Palo Pinto 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 Palo Pinto are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Palo Pinto
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Palo Pinto → · more Texas lake trips
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Fishing Lake Palo Pinto
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.14 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.7 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Palo Pinto is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Palo Pinto Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for water supply on the Palo Pinto Creek; earth-type dam, 96 ft tall and 1,255 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,661 ac
- Normal storage
- 44,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 186,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 471 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF MINERAL WELLS;PALO PINTO COUNTY MWD 1
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX03845 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Palo Pinto County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Palo Pinto
Where is Lake Palo Pinto?
- Lake Palo Pinto is a lake in Palo Pinto County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Palo Pinto?
- Lake Palo Pinto in Palo Pinto County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13.6 µg/L. Surface area: 2661 acres.
Is Lake Palo Pinto safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Palo Pinto?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Palo Pinto, 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 2661 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Palo Pinto?
- Lake Palo Pinto has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include FM 2692, Love Ramp Road, FM 3137. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Palo Pinto?
- Lake Palo Pinto has 3 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 Palo Pinto across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
54 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
TCEQMAIN54 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.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory