Pat Cleburne Reservoir
Johnson County, Texas1,550 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Pat Cleburne Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 41 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Pat Cleburne Reservoir in Johnson County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.9 µg/L. Surface area: 1550 acres.
Pat Cleburne Reservoir is a 1,550-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Johnson County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Water clarity 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 2026-03-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pat Cleburne Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water1,550 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. Pat Cleburne Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pat Cleburne Reservoir 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 Pat Cleburne Reservoir
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Pat Cleburne Reservoir, 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 2.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 46.9 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 50µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 46.9µg/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. | 64 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Pat Cleburne Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Pat Cleburne Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Surface area
1,550 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 Pat Cleburne Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
99 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
7.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
725 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
- Lake Pat Cleburne (West)Public
- Lake Pat Cleburne (East)Public
- Kirtley ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pat Cleburne Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pat Cleburne Reservoir in Johnson 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 Pat Cleburne Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Pat Cleburne Reservoir
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Fishing Pat Cleburne Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.65 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pat Cleburne Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Pat Cleburne Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for water supply on the Nolan River; earth-type dam, 78 ft tall and 5,190 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,550 ac
- Normal storage
- 25,730 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 66,700 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 100 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF CLEBURNE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX03594 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Pat Cleburne Reservoir 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-1228_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Johnson County
Frequently asked questions about Pat Cleburne Reservoir
Where is Pat Cleburne Reservoir?
- Pat Cleburne Reservoir is a lake in Johnson County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pat Cleburne Reservoir?
- Pat Cleburne Reservoir in Johnson County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.9 µg/L. Surface area: 1550 acres.
Is Pat Cleburne Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pat Cleburne Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Pat Cleburne Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Pat Cleburne Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 1550 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Pat Cleburne Reservoir?
- Pat Cleburne Reservoir has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Pat Cleburne (West), Lake Pat Cleburne (East), Kirtley Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pat Cleburne Reservoir?
- Pat Cleburne Reservoir 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.
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Where this data comes from
56 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN56 samples · 2020–2026
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
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