Lake Carter P Johnson
Sioux County, Nebraska17 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Carter P Johnson. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Lake Carter P Johnson in Sioux County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 16.9 acres.
Lake Carter P Johnson is a 17-acre mesotrophic lake in Sioux County, Nebraska. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2017-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Carter P Johnson is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Lake Carter P Johnson is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Carter P Johnson 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 Carter P Johnson
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Lake Carter P Johnson, 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 8.3 ft. Chlorophyll-a 3.4 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.3ft | 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) | 3.4µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Carter P Johnson
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
17 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Carter P Johnson, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Lake Carter P Johnson
- Soldier Creek Campground4.8 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 Carter P Johnson
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Top-rated places to stay near Lake Carter P Johnson
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Fishing Lake Carter P Johnson
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2012–2017).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.16 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Carter P Johnson is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Carter P Johnson Dam (completed 1935), built primarily for recreation on the Soldier Creek; earth-type dam, 35 ft tall and 480 ft long.
- Surface area
- 16.9 ac
- Normal storage
- 42.5 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 202.3 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 52.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Nebraska Game & Parks Commission
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01124 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Carter P Johnson 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-WH1-L0200 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sioux County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Carter P Johnson
Where is Lake Carter P Johnson?
- Lake Carter P Johnson is a lake in Sioux 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 Carter P Johnson?
- Lake Carter P Johnson in Sioux County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 16.9 acres.
Is Lake Carter P Johnson safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Carter P Johnson is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Lake Carter P Johnson?
- Lake Carter P Johnson has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Soldier Creek 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 Carter P Johnson across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX48 samples · 2012–2017
Analytical methods
- 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 (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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles