Ray Roberts Lake
Cooke County, Texas29,350 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Ray Roberts Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Ray Roberts Lake in Cooke County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15 µg/L. Surface area: 29350 acres.
Ray Roberts Lake is a 29,350-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cooke County, Texas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2024-03-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ray Roberts Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water29,350 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 Ray Roberts 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 Ray Roberts Lake
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Ray Roberts Lake, 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 2.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 15 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.6ft | 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) | 15µg/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. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Ray Roberts Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
29,350 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by TCEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Ray Roberts Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Lake Ray Roberts State Park - Pecan CreekPublic
- Lake Ray Roberts State Park - JordanPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ray Roberts Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ray Roberts Lake in Cooke 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 Ray Roberts Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Ray Roberts Lake
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Fishing Ray Roberts Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ray Roberts Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ray Roberts Dam (completed 1986), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Elm Fork of The Trinity River; earth-type dam, 141 ft tall and 14,980 ft long.
- Surface area
- 29,350 ac
- Normal storage
- 799,600 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,931,900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 692 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Fort Worth District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX08008 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Cooke County
Frequently asked questions about Ray Roberts Lake
Where is Ray Roberts Lake?
- Ray Roberts Lake is a lake in Cooke County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ray Roberts Lake?
- Ray Roberts Lake in Cooke County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15 µg/L. Surface area: 29350 acres.
Is Ray Roberts Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Ray Roberts Lake?
- Ray Roberts Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Ray Roberts State Park - Pecan Creek, Lake Ray Roberts State Park - Jordan. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ray Roberts Lake?
- Ray Roberts Lake has 2 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
1,075 measurements from 16 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Texas Water Science Center
USGS-TX1,075 samples · 2020–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (16)
- USGS-332853096585501
- USGS-332504097004501
- USGS-332241097061500
- USGS-332758097063301
- USGS-332138097024101
- USGS-332904096564701
- USGS-332239097020000
- USGS-332840097061701
- USGS-332301097050601
- USGS-332411097001600
- USGS-332646096552601
- USGS-332546097062000
- USGS-332430097030400
- USGS-332616097074501
- USGS-332608096592001
- USGS-332155097031901
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory