Lake Hastings
Adams County, Nebraska64 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 14 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Hastings in Adams County, Nebraska is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 0.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 60.5 µg/L. Surface area: 64 acres.
- Clarity
- 0.3 ft
- Max depth
- ~14 ft est.
- Area
- 64 acres
- Chlorophyll-a
- 60.5 µg/L
- Public access
- Yes
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Stays near Lake Hastings
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Watch Lake Hastings’s letter
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Why Lake Hastings has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Lake Hastings, the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. Sampling here has recorded water clarity and algae (chlorophyll-a), but not phosphorus.
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by NDEE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Lake Hastings is a 64-acre lake in Adams County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 14 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2012-09-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Hastings is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Hastings is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, fish consumption advisory, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Lake Hastings
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Very murky, less than 0.3 ft of visibility. Chlorophyll-a 60.5 µg/L. TSI 82.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 0.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 60.5 µg/L | Not graded |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 82 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~7 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 64 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
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 Hastings.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Lake HastingsPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Lake Hastings
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Hastings is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hastings Dam (completed 1958), built primarily for recreation on the Tr-W Fk Big Blue River; earth-type dam, 15 ft tall and 978 ft long.
- Surface area
- 64 ac
- Normal storage
- 276 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 455 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Hastings
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE00165 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Hastings is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-BB3-L0050 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Lake Hastings
Lake Hastings has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Adams County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Hastings
Where is Lake Hastings?
- Lake Hastings is a lake in Adams County, Nebraska. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Lake Hastings?
- Lake Hastings in Adams County, Nebraska is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 0.3 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 60.5 µg/L. Surface area: 64 acres.
Is Lake Hastings safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Hastings is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, fish consumption advisory, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Hastings?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Hastings, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 14 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 64 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Hastings?
- Lake Hastings has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Hastings. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
9 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX9 samples · 2012
Analytical methods
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory