Reservoirs in Nebraska
52 of 592 graded Nebraska lakes (9%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 36 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.
Reading the Nebraska reservoir landscape
52 reservoirs in Nebraska appear in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. That's a meaningful share — reservoir lakes carry their own ecology and access patterns distinct from natural lakes, including managed water levels, drawdowns timed to the dam's purpose, and shoreline mix dominated by structures built post-impoundment.
The leading reservoir purpose in Nebraska is flood control. Flood-control reservoirs typically hold water at a low pool except during high-water events, when the dam captures and slowly releases excess inflow downstream. That operating pattern means shallow shoreline access, exposed mudflats during low-pool seasons, and water-level fluctuations that limit fixed-dock development. The fishing and recreation use tends to concentrate in the deeper main-channel areas year-round.
The USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) catalogs every dam in the United States above a size threshold — typically 25 feet in height or 50 acre-feet in maximum storage, plus all dams classified as high-hazard regardless of size. The reservoir records below pull NID fields (year built, hazard class, maximum storage, surface area at normal pool, dam length, primary purpose) and pair them with water-quality data where the impoundment also appears in EPA's lake-monitoring inventory.
Why these Nebraska reservoirs were built
All 52 Nebraska reservoirs (by surface area)
| Reservoir | County | Grade | Surface area | Year built | Purpose | Hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Ogallala | Keith | D | 30,500 ac | 1941 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Harlan County Reservoir | Harlan | D | 13,600 ac | 1952 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Swanson Reservoir | Hitchcock | B | 7,940 ac | 1953 | Irrigation | High |
| Harry Strunk Lake | Frontier | C | 5,793 ac | 1949 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Jeffrey Reservoir | Lincoln | NR | 5,756 ac | 1941 | Irrigation | High |
| Calamus Reservoir | Garfield | B | 5,123 ac | 1985 | Irrigation | High |
| Hugh Butler Lake | Frontier | A | 4,060 ac | 1962 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Merritt Reservoir | Cherry | B | 3,222 ac | 1964 | Irrigation | High |
| Sherman Reservoir | Sherman | A | 2,868 ac | 1962 | Irrigation | High |
| Enders Reservoir | Chase | D | 2,557 ac | 1951 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Lake Minatare | Scotts Bluff | A | 2,195 ac | 1915 | Irrigation | High |
| Box Butte Reservoir | Dawes | C | 1,799 ac | 1946 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Davis Creek Reservoir | Greeley | A | 1,430 ac | 1990 | Irrigation | High |
| Elwood Reservoir | Gosper | NR | 1,145 ac | 1976 | Irrigation | High |
| Lake North | Platte | NR | 961 ac | 1937 | Hydroelectric | Low |
| Willow Creek Reservoir | Pierce | NR | 715 ac | 1983 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Lake Wanahoo | Saunders | D | 662 ac | 2010 | Other | High |
| Smith Lake | Sheridan | B | 425 ac | 1948 | Recreation | Low |
| Oliver Reservoir | Kimball | B | 264 ac | 1910 | Irrigation | High |
| Kramper Lake | Dakota | C | 226.2 ac | 2013 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Summit Lake | Burt | F | 193 ac | 1980 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Gallagher Canyon Reservoir | Dawson | NR | 182 ac | 1941 | Hydroelectric | Low |
| Kirkman'S Cove Lake | Richardson | D | 155 ac | 1986 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Rockford Lake | Gage | F | 149 ac | 1968 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Burchard Lake | Pawnee | F | 144 ac | 1959 | Recreation | Significant |
| Prairie Queen Lake | Sarpy | D | 125 ac | 2014 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Powder Creek Lake | Dixon | D | 108 ac | 2003 | Flood Risk Reduction | Significant |
| Wildwood Lake | Lancaster | F | 107.4 ac | 1979 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Swan Creek Lake | Saline | F | 95 ac | 1988 | Flood Risk Reduction | Significant |
| Maskenthine Reservoir | Stanton | F | 94 ac | 1976 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Memphis Lake | Saunders | NR | 88 ac | 1897 | Recreation | Low |
| Lone Star Reservoir | Fillmore | F | 75 ac | 2006 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Czechland Lake | Saunders | NR | 74 ac | 1989 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Buckskin Hills Lake | Dixon | F | 73 ac | 1980 | Flood Risk Reduction | Significant |
| Lake Hastings | Adams | NR | 64 ac | 1958 | Recreation | Significant |
| Meadowlark Lake | Seward | F | 55 ac | 1968 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Grove Lake | Antelope | F | 54 ac | 1953 | Recreation | Low |
| Skyview Lake | Madison | B | 52 ac | 1971 | Recreation | High |
| Hedgefield Lake | Lancaster | F | 44 ac | 1963 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Chalkrock Lake | Cedar | B | 44 ac | 1986 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Oxbow Trails Reservoir | Butler | D | 43 ac | 1998 | Flood Risk Reduction | Significant |
| Cub Creek Lake | Jefferson | NR | 41 ac | 1970 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Homestead Lake | Butler | NR | 38 ac | 2000 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Liberty Cove Lake | Webster | F | 36 ac | 1990 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Cub Creek Lake | Keya Paha | B | 31 ac | 1977 | Recreation | Significant |
| Pibel Lake | Wheeler | C | 26 ac | 1895 | Recreation | Low |
| Big Indian Lake | Gage | F | 17 ac | 1972 | Flood Risk Reduction | Low |
| Ravenna Lake E of Ravenna | Buffalo | F | 17 ac | 1939 | Recreation | Low |
| Lake Carter P Johnson | Sioux | A | 16.9 ac | 1935 | Recreation | High |
| Jenny Newman Lake | Cass | D | 3.99 ac | 1965 | Recreation | Low |
| Johnson Lake | Gosper | D | — | 1941 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Maloney | Lincoln | B | — | 1935 | Hydroelectric | High |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many reservoirs are in Nebraska?
52 of 592 graded Nebraska lakes (9%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 36 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1895.
What's the largest reservoir in Nebraska?
The largest matched reservoir in Nebraska is Lake Ogallala in Keith County at 30,500 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Kingsley (completed 1941).
What's the difference between a reservoir and a natural lake?
A reservoir is a body of water impounded by a man-made dam — typically built for flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, irrigation, or recreation. A natural lake formed without human intervention, usually from glacial scouring, volcanic activity, or river meandering. Reservoirs typically have shoreline that fluctuates with seasonal water level management, while natural lakes have more stable shorelines. The USACE National Inventory of Dams classifies every regulated dam in the United States, which is how we identify which LakeQuality lakes are actually reservoirs.
What does the hazard class mean?
USACE assigns each dam a hazard potential classification based on what would happen downstream if the dam failed — NOT how likely the dam is to fail. "Low" hazard means dam failure would cause no probable loss of life and only low economic loss. "Significant" means probable loss of life is unlikely but appreciable economic damage would occur. "High" means probable loss of life and significant economic damage. The classification is about consequence, not condition. Many High-hazard dams are perfectly safe; they're rated High because populated areas have grown downstream over time.
Where does this reservoir data come from?
Every reservoir record on this page is matched to the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all dams ≥25 ft tall or impounding ≥50 acre-feet, plus any dam that poses a Significant or High hazard regardless of size. The NID is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and updated annually. Surface area, storage capacity, dam height, and hazard classification come directly from NID records.
Where to stay near Nebraska reservoirs
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More on reservoirs and water quality
Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes graded side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.
Surveyed maximum depth against A–F nutrient-and-algae grades: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still grade an A, and why land use beats bathymetry.
How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.
How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake's grade.
Data source
Reservoir data from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all regulated dams. Dam attributes (height, year completed, storage capacity, hazard class) are matched to LakeQuality lakes by proximity and dam-name similarity. Some lakes may be reservoirs that aren't matched if the dam record uses a name substantially different from our lake name.