[13] However, a 2011 study from the Texas Water Development Board found that Lake Waco loses between 206-334 acre-feet of capacity every year due to sediment deposition.

[14] The Bosque River as a whole is considered to have high nitrogen and phosphorus levels due to fertilizer runoff, and Lake Waco is no exception.

(μS) The amount of dissolved solids, combined with the suspension of clay from the in-flowing rivers, can cause high turbidity in Lake Waco, which can limit algal growth as the water becomes less transparent.

In 2010, a large comprehensive study of Lake Waco was conducted to monitor chemical aspects of the water including nutrient levels, temperature, oxygen, pH, total organic carbon, and chlorophyll.

Waco is home to a humid subtropical climate, consisting of hot, dry summers and mild winters with little snowfall.

Lake Waco hosts an extremely wide variety of plant life, and students of Baylor University have done a great job at classifying several of these organisms.

Wildflowers also cover the land surrounding Lake Waco, including Horsemint, the Common sunflower, Texas bull nettle, and the Wild petunia.

[22] Multiple species of invertebrates also call the areas around Lake Waco home, including the Asian clam, the Marsh ramshorn, the Prairie rabdotus, and the Decollate snail.

The city of Waco worked with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to devise a plan to quell the infestation.

Before the spring spawning season, several tarps were laid upon the bottom of the lake to starve the mussels of oxygen.

Surprisingly, this strategy seemed to work, as a 2016 inspection found no evidence of zebra mussel DNA in the lake.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates the dam, and although the primary purpose is water conservation and allocation, the lake has been popular for summer recreational activities since the 1930s.

If land use is not properly managed, nutrients could be added to the lake much faster, speeding the process of eutrophication at an alarming rate.