Pelican Lake
Cherry County, NebraskaView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae sit in the clean band for this region.
↑ up from F at the last regrade
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- #3 of 5 in the county
- 10 ft max depth
- Public access
Pelican Lake in Cherry County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 1.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 210 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 88.9 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 1.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~10 ft est.
- Type
- Hypereutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 210 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 88.9 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Pelican Lake’s letter
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Pelican Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Cherry County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 10 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Cherry County, Pelican Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-24. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Pelican Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pelican Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Very murky, less than 1.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 210 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 88.9 µg/L. TSI 77. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 210 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 88.9 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 77 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~10 ft est. |
| 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 Pelican Lake.
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
- PelicanPublic
- PelicanPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Pelican Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -1.3 m/yr | 7 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +18.43 µg/L/yr | 3 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +26.18 µg/L/yr | 6 |
EPA Impairment Status
Pelican Lake 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-NI3-L0270 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.43 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #3 of 5 lakes in Cherry County
Nearby Lakes in Cherry County
Frequently asked questions about Pelican Lake
Where is Pelican Lake?
- Pelican Lake is a lake in Cherry County, Nebraska. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Pelican Lake?
- Pelican Lake in Cherry County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 1.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 210 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 88.9 µg/L.
Is Pelican Lake safe to swim in?
- The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pelican Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Pelican Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Pelican Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 10 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 Pelican Lake?
- Pelican Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pelican, Pelican. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Pelican Lake across LakeQuality
13.7 mi away
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Nebraska's top lakes, each with its grade
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
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Where this data comes from
75 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2014–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX75 samples · 2014–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
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