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LakeQuality

Skyview Lake

Madison County, Nebraska52 acresView mapDirections

B
Good

Clarity, phosphorus, and algae sit in the clean band for this region.

↑ up from C at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
6.2 ft
Secchi · sampled 2016
Max depth
~27 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Eutrophic
  • Impaired · Algal growth
  • #1 of 1 in the county
  • 27 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Skyview Lake in Madison County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.6 µg/L. Surface area: 52 acres.

Clarity
6.2 ft
Max depth
~27 ft est.
Area
52 acres
Type
Eutrophic
Chlorophyll-a
9.6 µg/L
Public access
Yes
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Skyview Lake is a 52-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Madison County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 27 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2016. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2016-09-21. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Skyview Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch2 documented ramps
  • Camping1 public campground nearby

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

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. Skyview Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Sioux Falls

Get alerts for Skyview Lake

Water Quality Grade: B (Good)

Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft. Chlorophyll-a 9.6 µg/L. TSI 52. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)6.2 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)9.6 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)52Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~27 ft est.
Average Depth~12 ft est.
Surface Area52 acres
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Nebraska has not published bathymetry for Skyview Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
Shoreline
1.3 mi
Elevation
1,578 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

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
1
Campgrounds
  • Skyview Park - EastPublic
  • Skyview Lake - WestPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Public campgrounds near Skyview Lake

  • Ta - Ha - Zouka Campground4.0 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

Fishing Skyview Lake

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Skyview Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Skyview Lake Dam (completed 1971), built primarily for recreation on the Tr-Elkhorn River; earth-type dam, 54 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.

Surface area
52 ac
Normal storage
424 ac-ft
Max storage
1,716 ac-ft
Drainage area
2.3 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
City of Norfolk

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE00326 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Skyview Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Algal growth

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NE-EL4-L0020 · Official waterbody report

County Ranking

Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Madison County

Nearby Lakes in Madison County

Frequently asked questions about Skyview Lake

Where is Skyview Lake?

Skyview Lake is a lake in Madison County, Nebraska. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Skyview Lake?

Skyview Lake in Madison County, Nebraska has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.6 µg/L. Surface area: 52 acres.

Is Skyview Lake safe to swim in?

The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Skyview Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Skyview Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Skyview Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 27 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 52 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Skyview Lake?

Skyview Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Skyview Park - East, Skyview Lake - West. Public access is listed as yes.

Are there campgrounds on Skyview Lake?

Skyview Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Ta - Ha - Zouka 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.

Where this data comes from

10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy21NEB001_WQX10 samples · 2016

Analytical methods

  • 447.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll a and b in phytoplankton by HPLC/UV
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

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

Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles