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LakeQuality

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

McLennan County, Texas2,012 acresView mapDirections

F
Algae-prone

Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.

↓ down from C at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
2.7 ft
Secchi · sampled 2026
Max depth
~52 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Declining
4 years of samples
  • Hypereutrophic
  • #2 of 3 in the county
  • 52 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir in McLennan County, Texas has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 2.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30.5 µg/L. Surface area: 2012 acres.

Clarity
2.7 ft
Max depth
~52 ft est.
Area
2,012 acres
Type
Hypereutrophic
Phosphorus
31.9 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
30.5 µg/L
Trend
Declining
Public access
Yes
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Stays near Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir in McLennan 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir are listed below.

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Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is a 2,012-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in McLennan County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 52 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2026. 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 2 other monitored lakes in McLennan County, Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2026-01-13. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch3 documented ramps
  • Big water2,012 acres

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

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 F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)

Very murky, less than 2.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 31.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 30.5 µg/L. TSI 60. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)2.7 ftNot graded
Phosphorus31.9 µg/LFair
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)30.5 µg/LPoor
Trophic State Index (TSI)60Hypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~52 ft est.
Average Depth~33 ft est.
Surface Area2,012 acres
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Texas has not published bathymetry for Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
45 sq mi
Shoreline
14.4 mi
Elevation
456 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

3
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Tradinghouse Lake ParkPublic
  • McLennan County ParkPublic
  • Sommerfeld DrivePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable-0.01 m/yr4
Phosphorus Declining+5 µg/L/yr3
Chlorophyll-a Declining+8.8 µg/L/yr3
See year-by-year chart →

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tradinghouse Dam (completed 1968), built primarily for other on the Tradinghouse Creek; earth-type dam, 60 ft tall and 7,600 ft long.

Surface area
2,012 ac
Normal storage
37,814 ac-ft
Max storage
59,000 ac-ft
Drainage area
39 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
VISTRA CORP

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX04110 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.49 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #2 of 3 lakes in McLennan County

Nearby Lakes in McLennan County

Frequently asked questions about Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir

Where is Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir is a lake in McLennan County, Texas. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir in McLennan County, Texas has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 2.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30.5 µg/L. Surface area: 2012 acres.

Is Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?

The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 52 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 2012 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir?

Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Tradinghouse Lake Park, McLennan County Park, Sommerfeld Drive. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

48 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 QualityTCEQMAIN48 samples · 2020–2026
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)

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory