Hershey Lake
Lincoln County, NebraskaView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
↑ up from B at the last regrade
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #1 of 3 in the county
- 21 ft max depth
- Public access
Hershey Lake in Lincoln County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 13.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 51.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 13.6 ft
- Max depth
- ~21 ft est.
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 51.4 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2.1 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Hershey Lake’s letter
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Hershey Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Lincoln County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 21 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining 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 Lincoln County, Hershey Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-18. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Hershey Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.6 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Hershey Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Good clarity, visible to about 13.6 ft. Phosphorus 51.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 46. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 13.6 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 51.4 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.1 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 46 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~21 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~4 ft est. |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Nebraska has not published bathymetry for Hershey Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- HersheyPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Hershey Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 8 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +5.78 m/yr | 8 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +47.15 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.05 µg/L/yr | 8 |
EPA Impairment Status
Hershey Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-SP1-L0050 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.17 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 3 lakes in Lincoln County
Nearby Lakes in Lincoln County
Frequently asked questions about Hershey Lake
Where is Hershey Lake?
- Hershey Lake is a lake in Lincoln County, Nebraska. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Hershey Lake?
- Hershey Lake in Lincoln County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 13.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 51.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L.
Is Hershey Lake safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Hershey Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hershey Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hershey Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 21 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Hershey Lake?
- Hershey Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hershey. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Hershey Lake across LakeQuality
More Nebraska Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Nebraska
Mesotrophic Lakes in Nebraska
Where this data comes from
108 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2017–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX108 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 (2)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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