Burchard Lake
Pawnee County, Nebraska144 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
Burchard Lake in Pawnee County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 114 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 65.3 µg/L. Surface area: 144 acres.
- Clarity
- 1.9 ft
- Max depth
- ~24 ft est.
- Area
- 144 acres
- Type
- Hypereutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 114 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 65.3 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Stays near Burchard Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Burchard Lake in Pawnee County, Nebraska — 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Burchard Lake are listed below.
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Burchard Lake is a 144-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Pawnee County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 24 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-11. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Burchard Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Burchard Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 114 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 65.3 µg/L. TSI 71. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 114 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 65.3 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 71 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~24 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~12 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 144 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Nebraska has not published bathymetry for Burchard Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Burchard Lake Wildlife Management AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Burchard Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 10 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -1.042 m/yr | 10 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +57.82 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +1.58 µg/L/yr | 10 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Burchard Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Burchard Lake Dam (completed 1959), built primarily for recreation on the Tr-Turkey Creek; earth-type dam, 52 ft tall and 1,065 ft long.
- Surface area
- 144 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,796 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,958.4 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE00760 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Burchard Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-NE2-L0120 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.51 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Pawnee County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Burchard Lake holds Grade F. One nearby lake has a higher nutrient-and-algae grade — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Pawnee County
Frequently asked questions about Burchard Lake
Where is Burchard Lake?
- Burchard Lake is a lake in Pawnee County, Nebraska. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Burchard Lake?
- Burchard Lake in Pawnee County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 114 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 65.3 µg/L. Surface area: 144 acres.
Is Burchard Lake safe to swim in?
- The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Burchard Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Burchard Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Burchard Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 24 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 144 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Burchard Lake?
- Burchard Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Burchard Lake Wildlife Management Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Burchard Lake across LakeQuality
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Nebraska's top lakes, each with its grade
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
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Where this data comes from
138 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX138 samples · 2015–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory