Texas is home to a diverse array of lakes, some of which are celebrated for their pristine waters, while others struggle with pollution and algae overgrowth.

We all enjoy spending weekends by our favorite Texas lake either fishing, swimming or just being out on the water in general but do you TRUST the water you're in?

With that being said, you'll find both clean and dirty lakes in the Lone Star State and a recent study ranked some of America's lakes based on cleanliness and dirtiness and let's just say that there are a few Texas lakes that might want to get some clean up crews going.

The study, conducted by vacation rental platform Lake.com, analyzed all the available chemical data from the National Water Quality Monitoring Council (NWQMC) for 276 US lakes.

Lakes at shallower depths, were sampled from January 1st, 2023, until May 28th, 2024. 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 (TDS)
• turbidity
• pH

When it comes to the top 10 CLEANEST Lakes, not a single Texas lake was able to make it. But on the flip side, 3 Texas Lakes littered the Top 10 DIRTIEST List.

These Are The Dirtiest Lakes In Texas: Lake JB Thomas

According to the study, Lake JB Thomas, located near Big Spring and Snyder, is the second dirtiest lake in America. Its oxygen-poor water is filled with minerals, as reflected in the above-average TDS levels.

Lake Wichita

Lake Wichita, near Wichita Falls, is the third dirtiest lake in the US according to this study. The lake served as a major recreational and tourist draw for years before silt, drought and algae took their tolls and the lake slipped into decline.

The high TDS means its water, whose samples were taken from near the dam, is generally cloudy. It went on to all that it has the most unclear water of all the lakes.

Lake Buchanan

This popular lake just outside of Burnet in Central Texas, is also a very dirty one according to the study. Its the 6th dirtiest lake in America, but some argue that the water there is clean despite the study ranking it high because of dissolved oxygen measurements.

Do You Agree With This Study If You've Been To These Lakes?