Lake C W Mcconaughy
Keith County, NebraskaView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake C W Mcconaughy. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 112 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake C W Mcconaughy in Keith County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 57.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.9 µg/L.
Lake C W Mcconaughy is a mesotrophic lake in Keith County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 112 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Keith County, Lake C W Mcconaughy ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake C W Mcconaughy has 6 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake C W Mcconaughy is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch6 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake C W Mcconaughy 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Lake C W Mcconaughy, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft. Phosphorus 57.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.9 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 57.6µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.9µg/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. | 54 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake C W Mcconaughy
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~112 ft est.
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 Lake C W Mcconaughy.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
29,299 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
27,006 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
58.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
3,258 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
- Arthur BayPublic
- Lemoyne Bay - BaysidePublic
- LemoynePublic
- Martin Bay High WaterPublic
- Martin Bay Low WaterPublic
- Sandy BeachPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Lake C W Mcconaughy
- Little Thunder Campground3.9 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake C W Mcconaughy in Keith 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy
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Fishing Lake C W Mcconaughy
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening13 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.7 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.14 µg/L/yr12 years
Nearby Lakes in Keith County
Frequently asked questions about Lake C W Mcconaughy
Where is Lake C W Mcconaughy?
- Lake C W Mcconaughy is a lake in Keith County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake C W Mcconaughy?
- Lake C W Mcconaughy in Keith County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 57.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.9 µg/L.
Is Lake C W Mcconaughy safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake C W Mcconaughy?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake C W Mcconaughy, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 112 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy?
- Lake C W Mcconaughy has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Arthur Bay, Lemoyne Bay - Bayside, Lemoyne, Martin Bay High Water, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake C W Mcconaughy?
- Lake C W Mcconaughy has 6 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy?
- Lake C W Mcconaughy has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Little Thunder 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 Lake C W Mcconaughy across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
147 measurements from 3 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_WQX147 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 (3)
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
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