Kirkman'S Cove Lake
Richardson County, Nebraska155 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Kirkman'S Cove Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
Kirkman'S Cove Lake in Richardson County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.5 µg/L. Surface area: 155 acres.
Kirkman'S Cove Lake is a 155-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Richardson County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 24 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Kirkman'S Cove Lake covers about 160 acres in Richardson County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Kirkman'S Cove Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Kirkman'S Cove Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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. Kirkman'S Cove Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pH / acidity, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kirkman'S Cove 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 Kirkman'S Cove Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Kirkman'S Cove 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 1.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 132 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20.5 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 132µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 69 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Kirkman'S Cove Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~24 ft est.
Surface area
155 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 Kirkman'S Cove Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,047 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
Public campgrounds near Kirkman'S Cove Lake
- Kirkman's Cove Recreation Area Campground0.2 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 Kirkman'S Cove Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Kirkman'S Cove Lake in Richardson 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Kirkman'S Cove Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Kirkman'S Cove 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.
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Fishing Kirkman'S Cove Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Improving13 years
Phosphorus
Improving-5.39 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.53 µg/L/yr12 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Kirkman'S Cove Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Long Branch 21 (completed 1986), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Kirkham Creek; earth-type dam, 69 ft tall and 1,870 ft long.
- Surface area
- 155 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,569 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,841 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 9.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Nemaha Natural Resources District
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE02216 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.4 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Kirkman'S Cove 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, Recreation, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-NE2-L0040 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Richardson County
Frequently asked questions about Kirkman'S Cove Lake
Where is Kirkman'S Cove Lake?
- Kirkman'S Cove Lake is a lake in Richardson County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kirkman'S Cove Lake?
- Kirkman'S Cove Lake in Richardson County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.5 µg/L. Surface area: 155 acres.
Is Kirkman'S Cove Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Kirkman'S Cove Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pH / acidity, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Kirkman'S Cove Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Kirkman'S Cove Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 24 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 155 acres.
Can I fish at Kirkman'S Cove Lake?
- Public access to Kirkman'S Cove Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Kirkman'S Cove Lake?
- Kirkman'S Cove Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Kirkman's Cove Recreation Area 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 Kirkman'S Cove Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
189 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_WQX189 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
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)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles