Pibel Lake
Wheeler County, Nebraska26 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Pibel Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Public access
Pibel Lake in Wheeler County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 979 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 54.9 µg/L. Surface area: 26 acres.
Pibel Lake is a 26-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Wheeler County, Nebraska. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Wheeler County, Pibel Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pibel Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Pibel Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pibel Lake 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 Pibel Lake
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Pibel Lake, 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 2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 979 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 54.9 µg/L. TSI 80.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 979µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 54.9µg/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. | 80 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Pibel Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
26 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Nebraska DEE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Pibel Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Pibel LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pibel Lake
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Fishing Pibel Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2013–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.03 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.67 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pibel Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pibel Dam (completed 1895), built primarily for recreation on the Clear Creek; earth-type dam, 25 ft tall and 550 ft long.
- Surface area
- 26 ac
- Normal storage
- 123 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 311.1 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 63.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Lower Loup Natural Resources District
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE00384 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Pibel Lake 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-LO1-L0130 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wheeler County
Frequently asked questions about Pibel Lake
Where is Pibel Lake?
- Pibel Lake is a lake in Wheeler County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pibel Lake?
- Pibel Lake in Wheeler County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 979 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 54.9 µg/L. Surface area: 26 acres.
Is Pibel Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pibel Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Pibel Lake?
- Pibel Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pibel Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Pibel Lake?
- Pibel Lake 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.
Explore Pibel Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Nebraska
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Nebraska
Where this data comes from
86 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX86 samples · 2013–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory