Homestead Lake
Butler County, Nebraska38 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Homestead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Public access
- Limited data
Homestead Lake in Butler County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.7 µg/L. Surface area: 38 acres.
Homestead Lake is a 38-acre lake in Butler County, Nebraska. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2015-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Homestead Lake 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. Homestead Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Homestead 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 Homestead Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Homestead 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 3 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 46.7 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 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) | 46.7µg/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. | 65 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Homestead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
38 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Nebraska DEE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Homestead Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Homestead Lake RecreationPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Homestead Lake
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Fishing Homestead Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Homestead Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Skull Creek 55 (completed 2000), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Tr-Skull Creek; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 980 ft long.
- Surface area
- 38 ac
- Normal storage
- 218 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,961 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Lower Platte North Natural Resources District
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE02567 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.09 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Homestead 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-LP1-L0355 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Butler County
Frequently asked questions about Homestead Lake
Where is Homestead Lake?
- Homestead Lake is a lake in Butler County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Homestead Lake?
- Homestead Lake in Butler County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 46.7 µg/L. Surface area: 38 acres.
Is Homestead Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Homestead Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Homestead Lake?
- Homestead Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Homestead Lake Recreation. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Homestead Lake?
- Homestead 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.
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX10 samples · 2015
Analytical methods
- 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