Enders Reservoir
Chase County, Nebraska2,557 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Enders Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 60 ft max depth
- Public access
Enders Reservoir in Chase County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 56.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 10.3 µg/L. Surface area: 2557 acres.
Enders Reservoir is a 2,557-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Chase County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 60 feet. Water clarity 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 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Enders Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water2,557 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Enders Reservoir 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 Enders Reservoir
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Enders Reservoir, 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 2.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 56.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 10.3 µg/L. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 56.4µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 10.3µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Enders Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~60 ft est.
Surface area
2,557 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Nebraska DEE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Nebraska has not published bathymetry for Enders Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1,134 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
3,107 ft
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
- Enders Main Area SouthPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Enders Reservoir
- Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area0.6 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Enders Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Enders Reservoir in Chase 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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Enders Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Enders Reservoir
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
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Fishing Enders Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening13 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.11 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.03 µg/L/yr12 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Enders Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Enders Dike (completed 1951), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Frenchman Creek; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall and 6,133 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,557 ac
- Normal storage
- 44,480 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 79,161 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,097 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01070 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Chase County
Frequently asked questions about Enders Reservoir
Where is Enders Reservoir?
- Enders Reservoir is a lake in Chase County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Enders Reservoir?
- Enders Reservoir in Chase County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 56.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 10.3 µg/L. Surface area: 2557 acres.
Is Enders Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Enders Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Enders Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 60 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 2557 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Enders Reservoir?
- Enders Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Enders Main Area South. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Enders Reservoir?
- Enders Reservoir 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.
Are there campgrounds on Enders Reservoir?
- Enders Reservoir has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Enders Reservoir State Recreation Area. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Enders Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
167 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX167 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles