Purtis Creek Lake
Henderson County, Texas349 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
- Eutrophic
- #1 of 3 in the county
- 47 ft max depth
Purtis Creek Lake in Henderson County, Texas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 45 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25.7 µg/L. Surface area: 349 acres.
- Clarity
- 3 ft
- Max depth
- ~47 ft est.
- Area
- 349 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 45 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 25.7 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Watch Purtis Creek Lake’s letter
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Purtis Creek Lake is a 349-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Henderson County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 47 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Henderson County, Purtis Creek Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-09-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 45 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 25.7 µg/L. TSI 61. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 45 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 25.7 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 61 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~47 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~7 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 349 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Texas has not published bathymetry for Purtis Creek Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Purtis Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.029 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | +0.63 µg/L/yr | 6 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +2.43 µg/L/yr | 6 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Purtis Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cedar Creek WS SCS Site 143a Dam (completed 1985), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Purtis Creek; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 3,044 ft long.
- Surface area
- 349 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,768 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,408 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- HENDERSON COUNTY;TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT;TRINITY NECHES SWCD
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX05948 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.15 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 3 lakes in Henderson County
Nearby Lakes in Henderson County
Frequently asked questions about Purtis Creek Lake
Where is Purtis Creek Lake?
- Purtis Creek Lake is a lake in Henderson County, Texas. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Purtis Creek Lake?
- Purtis Creek Lake in Henderson County, Texas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 45 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25.7 µg/L. Surface area: 349 acres.
Is Purtis Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Purtis Creek Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Purtis Creek Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 47 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 349 acres.
Explore Purtis Creek Lake across LakeQuality
More Texas Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Texas
Eutrophic Lakes in Texas
Where this data comes from
64 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
TCEQMAIN64 samples · 2020–2025
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)