Lake Ogallala
Keith County, Nebraska30,500 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Ogallala. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Ogallala in Keith County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 52.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.2 µg/L. Surface area: 30500 acres.
Lake Ogallala is a 30,500-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Keith County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 5 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Keith County, Lake Ogallala ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 31,000 acres, Lake Ogallala is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 5 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Ogallala, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Ogallala is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch5 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water30,500 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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 Ogallala is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Ogallala 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 Ogallala
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Lake Ogallala, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft. Phosphorus 52.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.2 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 52.2µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14.2µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Ogallala
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~40 ft est.
Surface area
30,500 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 Lake Ogallala.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
29,379 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
3,117 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
- Diver's BayPublic
- Spillway Bay - BackPublic
- Spillway Bay - FrontPublic
- North Boat RampPublic
- South RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Lake Ogallala
- East Campground0.4 km
- West Campground0.5 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 Ogallala
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Ogallala 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Ogallala are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Ogallala
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 Lake Ogallala
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
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Ogallala is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Kingsley (completed 1941), built primarily for hydroelectric on the North Platte River; earth-type dam, 162 ft tall and 17,840 ft long.
- Surface area
- 30,500 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,594,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,900,600 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01048 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.76 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Ogallala is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-NP1-L0030 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Keith County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Ogallala
Where is Lake Ogallala?
- Lake Ogallala 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 Ogallala?
- Lake Ogallala in Keith County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 52.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.2 µg/L. Surface area: 30500 acres.
Is Lake Ogallala safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Ogallala is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Ogallala?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Ogallala, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 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 30500 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Ogallala?
- Lake Ogallala has 5 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Diver's Bay, Spillway Bay - Back, Spillway Bay - Front, North Boat Ramp, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Ogallala?
- Lake Ogallala has 5 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 Ogallala?
- Lake Ogallala has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including East Campground, West 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 Ogallala across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
37 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX37 samples · 2023–2024
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
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