Waco Lake
McLennan County, Texas7,270 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Waco Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Waco Lake in McLennan County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 7270 acres.
Waco Lake is a 7,270-acre lake in McLennan County, Texas. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2021-06-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Waco Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water9.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water7,270 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Waco 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 Waco Lake
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Waco Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.8 ft. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Waco Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
7,270 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by TCEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Waco Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Midway ParkPublic
- Twin BridgesPublic
- Lake Waco MarinaPublic
- Lacy PointPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Waco Lake
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Waco Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Waco Lake
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Fishing Waco Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Waco Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Waco Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Bosque River; earth-type dam, 145 ft tall and 17,400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 7,270 ac
- Normal storage
- 152,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 969,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,670 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 TX00016 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in McLennan County
Frequently asked questions about Waco Lake
Where is Waco Lake?
- Waco Lake is a lake in McLennan County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Waco Lake?
- Waco Lake in McLennan County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 7270 acres.
Is Waco 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 Waco Lake?
- Waco Lake has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Midway Park, Twin Bridges, Lake Waco Marina, Lacy Point. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Waco Lake?
- Waco Lake has 4 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.
Are there campgrounds on Waco Lake?
- Waco Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Speegleville Park, Twin Bridges Group Shelter, Midway. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS1 sample · 2021
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles