A red sun low over Slim Lake through wildfire haze, its reflection a column of orange on the water

Reservoirs in Nebraska

52 of 592 measured 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

Flood Risk Reduction

Recreation

Irrigation

Hydroelectric

Other

Total reservoirs

93,486

Total surface acres

2,705,364

Normal storage (ac-ft)

High or Significant hazard

All 52 Nebraska reservoirs (by surface area)

Reservoir	County	Surface area	Year built	Purpose	Hazard
Lake Ogallala	Keith	30,500 ac	1941	Hydroelectric	High
Harlan County Reservoir	Harlan	13,600 ac	1952	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Swanson Reservoir	Hitchcock	7,940 ac	1953	Irrigation	High
Harry Strunk Lake	Frontier	5,793 ac	1949	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Jeffrey Reservoir	Lincoln	5,756 ac	1941	Irrigation	High
Calamus Reservoir	Garfield	5,123 ac	1985	Irrigation	High
Hugh Butler Lake	Frontier	4,060 ac	1962	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Merritt Reservoir	Cherry	3,222 ac	1964	Irrigation	High
Sherman Reservoir	Sherman	2,868 ac	1962	Irrigation	High
Enders Reservoir	Chase	2,557 ac	1951	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Lake Minatare	Scotts Bluff	2,195 ac	1915	Irrigation	High
Box Butte Reservoir	Dawes	1,799 ac	1946	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Davis Creek Reservoir	Greeley	1,430 ac	1990	Irrigation	High
Elwood Reservoir	Gosper	1,145 ac	1976	Irrigation	High
Lake North	Platte	961 ac	1937	Hydroelectric	Low
Willow Creek Reservoir	Pierce	715 ac	1983	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Lake Wanahoo	Saunders	662 ac	2010	Other	High
Smith Lake	Sheridan	425 ac	1948	Recreation	Low
Oliver Reservoir	Kimball	264 ac	1910	Irrigation	High
Kramper Lake	Dakota	226.2 ac	2013	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Summit Lake	Burt	193 ac	1980	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Gallagher Canyon Reservoir	Dawson	182 ac	1941	Hydroelectric	Low
Kirkman'S Cove Lake	Richardson	155 ac	1986	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Rockford Lake	Gage	149 ac	1968	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Burchard Lake	Pawnee	144 ac	1959	Recreation	Significant
Prairie Queen Lake	Sarpy	125 ac	2014	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Powder Creek Lake	Dixon	108 ac	2003	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Wildwood Lake	Lancaster	107.4 ac	1979	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Swan Creek Lake	Saline	95 ac	1988	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Maskenthine Reservoir	Stanton	94 ac	1976	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Memphis Lake	Saunders	88 ac	1897	Recreation	Low
Lone Star Reservoir	Fillmore	75 ac	2006	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Czechland Lake	Saunders	74 ac	1989	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Buckskin Hills Lake	Dixon	73 ac	1980	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Lake Hastings	Adams	64 ac	1958	Recreation	Significant
Meadowlark Lake	Seward	55 ac	1968	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Grove Lake	Antelope	54 ac	1953	Recreation	Low
Skyview Lake	Madison	52 ac	1971	Recreation	High
Hedgefield Lake	Lancaster	44 ac	1963	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Chalkrock Lake	Cedar	44 ac	1986	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Oxbow Trails Reservoir	Butler	43 ac	1998	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Cub Creek Lake	Jefferson	41 ac	1970	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Homestead Lake	Butler	38 ac	2000	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Liberty Cove Lake	Webster	36 ac	1990	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Cub Creek Lake	Keya Paha	31 ac	1977	Recreation	Significant
Pibel Lake	Wheeler	26 ac	1895	Recreation	Low
Big Indian Lake	Gage	17 ac	1972	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Ravenna Lake E of Ravenna	Buffalo	17 ac	1939	Recreation	Low
Lake Carter P Johnson	Sioux	16.9 ac	1935	Recreation	High
Jenny Newman Lake	Cass	3.99 ac	1965	Recreation	Low
Johnson Lake	Gosper	—	1941	Hydroelectric	High
Lake Maloney	Lincoln	—	1935	Hydroelectric	High

Frequently Asked Questions

How many reservoirs are in Nebraska?

52 of 592 measured 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

Compare cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals near the largest reservoirs in Nebraska — live availability and prices for boating, fishing, and lake trips.

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More on reservoirs and water quality

Are Reservoirs Cleaner Than Natural Lakes?

Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes compared side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.

Do Deeper Lakes Have Better Water Quality?

Surveyed maximum depth against nutrient and algae readings: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still read clean, and why land use beats bathymetry.

Lake Water Quality Explained: What the Readings Mean

How nutrient and algae readings are read against EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each class means in the water, and why a clean reading is not a clearance.

Why Lakes Turn Green: Phosphorus and Nutrient Pollution

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 readings.

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.