White River Lake
Crosby County, Texas1,477 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for White River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Salinity / chlorides
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
White River Lake in Crosby County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 44.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1477 acres.
White River Lake is a 1,477-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crosby County, Texas with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-11-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What White River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water1,477 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. White River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether White River 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 White River Lake
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for White River 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 0.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 44.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 12.2 µg/L. TSI 66.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 44.6µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 12.2µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 66 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about White River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~45 ft est.
Surface area
1,477 acres
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 White River Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2,924 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
8.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,359 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
- White River MarinaPublic
- White River Lake - River Crest RoadPublic
- White River Lake - River Crest RoadPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near White River Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near White River Lake in Crosby 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 White River Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near White River Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing White River Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.04 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-7.04 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
White River Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the White River Dam (completed 1963), built primarily for water supply on the White River; earth-type dam, 80 ft tall and 4,400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,477 ac
- Normal storage
- 44,897 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 71,590 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 172 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- WHITE RIVER MWD
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX02143 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
White River Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TX-1240_01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crosby County
Frequently asked questions about White River Lake
Where is White River Lake?
- White River Lake is a lake in Crosby County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of White River Lake?
- White River Lake in Crosby County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 44.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1477 acres.
Is White River Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. White River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is White River Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers White River Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 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 1477 acres.
Are there boat ramps on White River Lake?
- White River Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include White River Marina, White River Lake - River Crest Road, White River Lake - River Crest Road. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at White River Lake?
- White River Lake has 3 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 White River Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
60 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
TCEQMAIN60 samples · 2020–2025
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory