Dawson County Lake Quality
Nebraska, 5 lakes — no lake here has enough monitoring data for a grade
Dawson County has 5 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. No lake in Dawson County has enough sampling behind it for an A–F grade yet. The 5 monitored lakes below carry whatever clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a measurements exist.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow, under 50 feet, which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed.
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Quick Answers for Dawson County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Gallagher Canyon Reservoir — or check the official Nebraska fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Dawson County
5 lakes · 0 graded, 5 not rated0 graded lakes · 5 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRGallagher Canyon ReservoirDawson | NR | 1.3 ft | No recent samples | 35.6 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public | |
| NRCentral Midway LakeDawson | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NREast Midway LakeDawson | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRWest Midway LakeDawson | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLake HelenDawson | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in Nebraska
See how Dawson County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.