Straddling the border between Canada and the United States, Lake Superior is downright massive. Boasting more than 31,000 square miles of clear, turquoise water, it holds the title of being the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. The greatness of this Great Lake doesn’t end there. Apparently, it’s superior in the cleanliness department, too. A 2025 study from the waterfront vacation rental platform Lake.com found the sprawling body of water to be the cleanest in a survey of the country’s 100 biggest lakes.
As for the dirtiest? Well, that distinction went to Lake Okeechobee, a dangerous Florida destination filled with snakes and gators. Texas didn’t escape the naughty side of the list either. Two of the Lone Star State’s lochs — Lake Texoma and the Richland-Chambers Reservoir — both ranked among America’s top 10 dirtiest, coming in at number three and number 10, respectively.
Lake.com compiled the list based on chemical data spanning from January 1, 2020, to July 15, 2025. The rental platform marketplace obtained the information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-managed National Water Quality Monitoring Council. “The researchers evaluated eight of the most commonly measured characteristics that can suggest a lake’s cleanliness level: dissolved oxygen, ammonia, lead, phosphorus, sulfate, total dissolved solids, turbidity and pH,” the report notes. In layman’s terms, you may want to think twice before hopping in for a dip in either of these two Texas lakes.
The lowdown on Texas’ dirty lake duo
Docks and trees at Richland-Chambers Reservoir – Maria Theresa Mendoza Dahlén / Facebook
The waters of Lake Texoma and the Richland-Chambers Reservoir, also known as Richland-Chambers Lake, have been enticing Texans for decades. The aptly named Lake Texoma — which lies north of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and stretches across the Texas-Oklahoma border for almost 90,000 surface acres — was constructed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) during World War II. Richland-Chambers, which spans more than 40,000 surface acres along the Piney Woods southeast of Dallas, was completed in the late 1980s.
Both bodies of water have largely positive reviews on TripAdvisor. “Beautiful lake,” reads one appraisal of Lake Texoma from 2021. “Very spacious, clean, and beautiful,” a previous review from 2019 states. As for the Richland-Chambers Reservoir, one lakegoer took to TripAdvisor in 2017 to write, “The lake is huge and the views are beautiful.” However, as pretty as these watery oases may look on the outside, as the age-old adage goes: Looks can be deceiving.
Lake.com docked Lake Texoma for being poorly oxygenated and having “a subtle rotten egg smell” — the result of high levels of sulfates in the water. In contrast, the Richland-Chambers Reservoir had the highest amount of dissolved oxygen out of the entire list of America’s 10 worst lakes. Since aquatic creatures rely on dissolved oxygen to live, inadequate levels — whether too high or too low — can be a key indicator of poor lake health. The EPA does note online that the amount of dissolved oxygen in a body of water can vary by the hour, making it tricky to gauge a lake’s overall health based on a single reading alone. In past years, heavy rainfall and agricultural runoff have caused water quality issues for both lakes.
Dive into these Texas lakes
Amistad Reservoir in Texas – ZamFam/Shutterstock
On the prowl for clean Texas lakes to dip your toes into? Then you may want to venture down to the Rio Grande, which twists along the border between the United States and Mexico. There, you’ll find the vast Amistad Reservoir, which spans almost 65,000 surface acres near the city of Del Rio. Also known as Lake Amistad, the recreation haven is popular for a wide variety of water activities, including boating, paddling, swimming, and scuba diving.
The reservoir topped The World Atlas list of some of the clearest lakes the Lone Star State has to offer. Rounding out the top three spots were Canyon Lake, nestled just outside of San Antonio, and Lake Travis, located in the Texas Hill Country’s spectacular Highland Lakes region. It’s worth noting that the cleanliness of any body of water — whether located in Texas or not — ebbs and flows. Case in point: The aforementioned high-ranking Canyon Lake has been known to shock visitors with its poor health at times.
“The once beautiful lake is not the same anymore — it’s now muddy brown instead of the beautiful blue it used to be,” reads one 2024 Tripadvisor review. Another example is the Hamilton Pool Preserve located outside of Dripping Springs. Widely praised for its clear waters and scenic hikes, the lake was crowned the prettiest in Texas by Reader’s Digest in 2024. However, at the time of writing, the waters are currently off limits to swimmers due to recent rainfall and high levels of bacteria. In summary, any lake has the potential to get a bit grimy, especially if heavy rainfall sweeps dirt and other debris into the water. To be safe, always check the status of a lake (as well as any river, ocean, or sea) before hopping in for a swim.
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Read the original article on Islands.
