Swanson Reservoir
Hitchcock County, Nebraska7,940 acresView mapDirections
Nebraska DEE publishes the water-quality measurements for Swanson Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 45 ft max depth
- Public access
Swanson Reservoir in Hitchcock County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L. Surface area: 7940 acres.
Swanson Reservoir is a 7,940-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hitchcock County, Nebraska with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 5 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NDEE, last sampled 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 7,900 acres, Swanson Reservoir 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. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Swanson Reservoir on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Swanson Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch5 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water7,940 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Swanson Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Swanson 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 Swanson Reservoir
These are the measurements Nebraska DEE publishes for Swanson 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 2.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.1 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 90µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.1µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Swanson Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~45 ft est.
Surface area
7,940 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 Swanson Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8,322 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
12.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,746 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
- Swanson Lake (Low Water)Public
- Macklin BayPublic
- Swanson Lake - Spring Canyon NorthPublic
- Swanson Lake - Spring Canyon SouthPublic
- Swanson Lake Trail #3Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Swanson Reservoir
- Spring Canyon Campground2.0 km
- Macklin Bay Campground2.1 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 Swanson Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Swanson Reservoir in Hitchcock 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Swanson Reservoir
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Fishing Swanson Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2018–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.17 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Swanson Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Trenton Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for irrigation on the Republican River; earth-type dam, 144 ft tall and 8,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 7,940 ac
- Normal storage
- 112,214 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 352,018 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8,620 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NE01078 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Swanson 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-RE3-L0090 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hitchcock County
Frequently asked questions about Swanson Reservoir
Where is Swanson Reservoir?
- Swanson Reservoir is a lake in Hitchcock County, Nebraska. Its water-quality measurements are published by Nebraska DEE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Swanson Reservoir?
- Swanson Reservoir in Hitchcock County, Nebraska has water-quality measurements published by Nebraska DEE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L. Surface area: 7940 acres.
Is Swanson Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Swanson Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Swanson Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Swanson Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 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 7940 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Swanson Reservoir?
- Swanson Reservoir has 5 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Swanson Lake (Low Water), Macklin Bay, Swanson Lake - Spring Canyon North, Swanson Lake - Spring Canyon South, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Swanson Reservoir?
- Swanson Reservoir 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 Swanson Reservoir?
- Swanson Reservoir has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Spring Canyon Campground, Macklin Bay 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 Swanson Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2018–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy
21NEB001_WQX40 samples · 2018–2024
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