Possum Kingdom Lake
Stephens County, TexasView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Possum Kingdom Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 108 ft max depth
- Public access
Possum Kingdom Lake in Stephens 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): 14.5 µg/L.
Possum Kingdom Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Stephens County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 108 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 21 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Stephens County, Possum Kingdom Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-11-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Possum Kingdom Lake has 21 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Possum Kingdom Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Possum Kingdom Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch21 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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 Possum Kingdom Lake 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 Possum Kingdom Lake
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Possum Kingdom Lake, 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 14.5 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) | 14.5µg/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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Possum Kingdom Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Possum Kingdom Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~108 ft est.
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 Possum Kingdom Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
20,024 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
12,513 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
97.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
997 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
- Possum Kingdom LakePublic
- WestsidePublic
- Lake Shore DrivePublic
- Possum Kingdom State Park - LakeviewPublic
- Possum Kingdom Lake PublicPublic
- Recreation Area #4 NorthPublic
Showing 6 of 21 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 Possum Kingdom Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Possum Kingdom Lake in Stephens 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 Possum Kingdom Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Possum Kingdom Lake
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 Possum Kingdom Lake → · more Texas lake trips
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Fishing Possum Kingdom Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.47 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Stephens County
Frequently asked questions about Possum Kingdom Lake
Where is Possum Kingdom Lake?
- Possum Kingdom Lake is a lake in Stephens County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Possum Kingdom Lake?
- Possum Kingdom Lake in Stephens 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): 14.5 µg/L.
Is Possum Kingdom Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Possum Kingdom Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Possum Kingdom Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 108 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Possum Kingdom Lake?
- Possum Kingdom Lake has 21 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Possum Kingdom Lake, Westside, Lake Shore Drive, Possum Kingdom State Park - Lakeview, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Possum Kingdom Lake?
- Possum Kingdom Lake has 21 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 Possum Kingdom Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Texas's top lakes, each with its readings
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Where this data comes from
236 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN236 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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