Harry Strunk Lake
Frontier County, Nebraska5,793 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Harry Strunk Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
Harry Strunk Lake in Frontier County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 67.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 10.3 µg/L. Surface area: 5793 acres.
Harry Strunk Lake is a 5,793-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Frontier County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Frontier County, Harry Strunk Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 5,800 acres, Harry Strunk Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Harry Strunk Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Harry Strunk Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water5,793 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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. Harry Strunk Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Harry Strunk 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 Harry Strunk Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Harry Strunk 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 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 67.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 10.3 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 67.6µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| 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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Harry Strunk Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~40 ft est.
Surface area
5,793 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 Harry Strunk Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
914 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
17.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,375 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
- Trail 1Public
- Trail 3Public
- Trail 4Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Harry Strunk Lake
- Shady Bay Campground0.7 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 Harry Strunk Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Harry Strunk Lake in Frontier 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 Harry Strunk Lake
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.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Harry Strunk Lake → · more Nebraska lake trips
Follow Harry Strunk Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Harry Strunk Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Improving13 years
Phosphorus
Improving-7.68 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.03 µg/L/yr12 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Harry Strunk Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Medicine Creek Dam (completed 1949), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Medicine Creek; earth-type dam, 165 ft tall and 5,665 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,793 ac
- Normal storage
- 35,705 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 193,020 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 880 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01073 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Harry Strunk 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-RE3-L0010 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Frontier County
Frequently asked questions about Harry Strunk Lake
Where is Harry Strunk Lake?
- Harry Strunk Lake is a lake in Frontier County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Harry Strunk Lake?
- Harry Strunk Lake in Frontier County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 67.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 10.3 µg/L. Surface area: 5793 acres.
Is Harry Strunk Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Harry Strunk Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Harry Strunk Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Harry Strunk Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 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 5793 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Harry Strunk Lake?
- Harry Strunk Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Trail 1, Trail 3, Trail 4. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Harry Strunk Lake?
- Harry Strunk Lake has 3 documented boat landings 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 Harry Strunk Lake?
- Harry Strunk Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Shady Bay Campground. 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 Harry Strunk Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Nebraska
Other Lakes in Nebraska
Eutrophic Lakes in Nebraska
Where this data comes from
165 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_WQX165 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
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
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles