Lake Tyler
Smith County, Texas3,584 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Tyler. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 33 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Tyler in Smith County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 22 µg/L. Surface area: 3584 acres.
Lake Tyler is a 3,584-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Smith County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 33 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Smith County, Lake Tyler ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-09-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Tyler covers about 3,600 acres in Smith County. It has 3 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 Tyler on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Tyler is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water3,584 acres
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Tyler 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 Tyler
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Lake Tyler, 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 3.4 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 22 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.4ft | 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) | 22µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Tyler
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~33 ft est.
Surface area
3,584 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 Tyler.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
47 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
20.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
387 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
- Chapman ParkPublic
- Hill Creek ParkPublic
- Lake Tyler Marina ResortSemi-private
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 Tyler
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Tyler 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Tyler
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 Tyler → · more Texas lake trips
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Fishing Lake Tyler
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.77 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+2.57 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Tyler is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Whitehouse Dam (completed 1949), built primarily for water supply on the Prairie Creek; earth-type dam, 50 ft tall and 4,709 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,584 ac
- Normal storage
- 42,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 85,810 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 45 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF TYLER
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX00245 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.33 km)
Nearby Lakes in Smith County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Tyler
Where is Lake Tyler?
- Lake Tyler 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 Tyler?
- Lake Tyler in Smith County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 22 µg/L. Surface area: 3584 acres.
Is Lake Tyler safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Tyler?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Tyler, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 33 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 3584 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Tyler?
- Lake Tyler has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chapman Park, Hill Creek Park, Lake Tyler Marina Resort. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Tyler?
- Lake Tyler 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 Tyler across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
51 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
TCEQMAIN51 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