Carter Lake
Douglas County, NebraskaView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Carter Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Public access
- Limited data
Carter Lake in Douglas County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 76 µg/L.
Carter Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Nebraska. 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 2013-05-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Carter Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Carter Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Carter Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Carter Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Carter Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Carter Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Carter Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 76 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 76µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Carter Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- NebraskaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Carter Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Carter Lake in Douglas 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Carter Lake
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Fishing Carter Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 12 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening10 years
Phosphorus
Improving-10.05 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+5.87 µg/L/yr12 years
EPA Impairment Status
Carter Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-MT1-L0090 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Carter Lake
Where is Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake in Douglas County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 76 µg/L.
Is Carter Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Carter Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Nebraska. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Nebraska's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Carter Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2013. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX4 samples · 2012–2013
Analytical methods
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory