Goose Lake
Holt County, NebraskaView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Goose Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
Goose Lake in Holt County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 170 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 32.6 µg/L.
Goose Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Holt County, Nebraska. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Holt County, Goose Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-06-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Goose Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Goose Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Goose 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 Goose Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Goose 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 1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 170 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 32.6 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 170µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 32.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Goose Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Goose Lake Wildlife Management AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Goose Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Goose Lake in Holt 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 Goose Lake
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Fishing Goose Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+7.77 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.58 µg/L/yr8 years
EPA Impairment Status
Goose Lake 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-EL4-L0050 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Holt County
Frequently asked questions about Goose Lake
Where is Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake is a lake in Holt County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake in Holt County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 170 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 32.6 µg/L.
Is Goose Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Goose Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Goose Lake?
- Goose Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Goose Lake Wildlife Management Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Goose Lake?
- Goose 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 Goose Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
78 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX78 samples · 2017–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
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