Whitney Lake
Hill County, Texas23,560 acresView mapDirections
TCEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Whitney Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Whitney Lake in Hill County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L. Surface area: 23560 acres.
Whitney Lake is a 23,560-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hill County, Texas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 19 public boat landings. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Hill County, Whitney Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TCEQ, last sampled 2025-11-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 24,000 acres, Whitney Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 19 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Whitney Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Whitney Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch19 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water23,560 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Whitney 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 Whitney Lake
These are the measurements TCEQ publishes for Whitney Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.8 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.6 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14.6µg/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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Whitney Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Whitney Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Surface area
23,560 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by TCEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Whitney Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Cedar Creek ParkPublic
- McCown Valley ParkPublic
- Lake Whitney State ParkPublic
- Lofers Bend Park (East)Public
- Lofers Bend East (Central)Public
- Lofers Bend Park (West)Public
Showing 6 of 19 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Whitney 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 Whitney Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Whitney Lake in Hill 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 Whitney Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Whitney Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Whitney Lake → · more Texas lake trips
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Fishing Whitney Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.84 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.11 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Whitney Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Whitney Dam (completed 1951), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Brazos River; earth-type dam, 166 ft tall and 7,538 ft long.
- Surface area
- 23,560 ac
- Normal storage
- 627,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,100,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17,656 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Fort Worth District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TX00017 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Hill County
Frequently asked questions about Whitney Lake
Where is Whitney Lake?
- Whitney Lake is a lake in Hill County, Texas. Its water-quality measurements are published by TCEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Whitney Lake?
- Whitney Lake in Hill County, Texas has water-quality measurements published by TCEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L. Surface area: 23560 acres.
Is Whitney 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 Whitney Lake?
- Whitney Lake has 19 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cedar Creek Park, McCown Valley Park, Lake Whitney State Park, Lofers Bend Park (East), among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Whitney Lake?
- Whitney Lake has 19 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 Whitney Lake?
- Whitney Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Lofers Bend Day Use (tx), Lofers Bend East, Lofers Bend West. 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
51 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
TCEQMAIN47 samples · 2020–2025 - USGS Texas Water Science Center
USGS-TX4 samples · 2020
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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