Gallagher Canyon Reservoir
Dawson County, Nebraska182 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Gallagher Canyon Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 68 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Gallagher Canyon Reservoir in Dawson County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 35.6 µg/L. Surface area: 182 acres.
Gallagher Canyon Reservoir is a 182-acre lake in Dawson County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 68 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2013-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gallagher Canyon Reservoir 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. Gallagher Canyon Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Gallagher Canyon 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 Gallagher Canyon Reservoir
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Gallagher Canyon 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 35.6 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | 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) | 35.6µg/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. | 70 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Gallagher Canyon Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~68 ft est.
Surface area
182 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 Gallagher Canyon Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
12 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,654 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
- Gallagher Canyon State Recreation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing Gallagher Canyon Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Gallagher Canyon Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gallagher (completed 1941), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Supply Canal; earth-type dam, 54 ft tall and 644 ft long.
- Surface area
- 182 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,303 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01028 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Gallagher Canyon Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-MP2-L0570 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Dawson County
Frequently asked questions about Gallagher Canyon Reservoir
Where is Gallagher Canyon Reservoir?
- Gallagher Canyon Reservoir is a lake in Dawson County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Gallagher Canyon Reservoir?
- Gallagher Canyon Reservoir in Dawson County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 35.6 µg/L. Surface area: 182 acres.
Is Gallagher Canyon Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Gallagher Canyon Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Gallagher Canyon Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Gallagher Canyon Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 68 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 182 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Gallagher Canyon Reservoir?
- Gallagher Canyon Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Gallagher Canyon State Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Gallagher Canyon Reservoir?
- Gallagher Canyon 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.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX8 samples · 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory