Oxbow Trails Reservoir
Butler County, Nebraska43 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Oxbow Trails Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Public access
- Limited data
Oxbow Trails Reservoir in Butler County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 356.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.4 µg/L. Surface area: 43 acres.
Oxbow Trails Reservoir is a 43-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Butler County, Nebraska. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Oxbow Trails Reservoir covers about 43 acres in Butler County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Oxbow Trails Reservoir on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Oxbow Trails Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Oxbow Trails Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Oxbow Trails Reservoir 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 Oxbow Trails Reservoir
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Oxbow Trails Reservoir, 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 356.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 29.4 µg/L. TSI 76.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 356µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 29.4µg/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. | 76 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Oxbow Trails Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
43 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Nebraska DEE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Oxbow Trails Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Oxbow Trail Recreation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Oxbow Trails Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Oxbow Trails Reservoir in Butler 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 Oxbow Trails Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Oxbow Trails Reservoir
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Oxbow Trails Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Oxbow Trails Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Dam 23-13-02e (completed 1998), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Tr-Big Blue River; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 875 ft long.
- Surface area
- 43 ac
- Normal storage
- 274 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 672 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE02496 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.15 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Oxbow Trails Reservoir 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-BB4-L0035 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Butler County
Frequently asked questions about Oxbow Trails Reservoir
Where is Oxbow Trails Reservoir?
- Oxbow Trails Reservoir is a lake in Butler County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Oxbow Trails Reservoir?
- Oxbow Trails Reservoir in Butler County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 356.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.4 µg/L. Surface area: 43 acres.
Is Oxbow Trails Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Oxbow Trails Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Oxbow Trails Reservoir?
- Oxbow Trails Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Oxbow Trail Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Oxbow Trails Reservoir?
- Oxbow Trails Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing 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.
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX18 samples · 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory