Hugh Butler Lake
Frontier County, Nebraska4,060 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Hugh Butler Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
Hugh Butler Lake in Frontier County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 82.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Surface area: 4060 acres.
Hugh Butler Lake is a 4,060-acre mesotrophic lake in Frontier County, Nebraska. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Frontier County, Hugh Butler Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Hugh Butler Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water4,060 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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. Hugh Butler Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hugh Butler 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 Hugh Butler Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Hugh Butler 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 2.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 82.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.9 µg/L. TSI 59.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 82.9µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.9µg/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. | 59 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hugh Butler Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
4,060 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Nebraska DEE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Hugh Butler Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Marina North RampPublic
- Marina South RampPublic
- South RampPublic
- Willow View Camp GroundPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Hugh Butler Lake
- Willow View Campground0.9 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 Hugh Butler Lake
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Fishing Hugh Butler Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2018–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.15 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hugh Butler Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Red Willow Dam (completed 1962), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Red Willow Creek; earth-type dam, 126 ft tall and 3,159 ft long.
- Surface area
- 4,060 ac
- Normal storage
- 37,776 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 161,899 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 730 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01076 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hugh Butler 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-L0060 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Frontier County
Frequently asked questions about Hugh Butler Lake
Where is Hugh Butler Lake?
- Hugh Butler 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 Hugh Butler Lake?
- Hugh Butler Lake in Frontier County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 82.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.9 µg/L. Surface area: 4060 acres.
Is Hugh Butler Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hugh Butler Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Hugh Butler Lake?
- Hugh Butler Lake has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Marina North Ramp, Marina South Ramp, South Ramp, Willow View Camp Ground. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hugh Butler Lake?
- Hugh Butler Lake has 4 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 Hugh Butler Lake?
- Hugh Butler Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Willow View 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 Hugh Butler Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
34 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2018–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX34 samples · 2018–2024
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles