1. WHO OWNS THE LAKES? Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala are owned and operated by the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID).
2. WHO MANAGES THE LAKES? Recreation is managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission through a lease with CNPPID. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service works in partnership with Game and Parks and CNPPID to make sure that the threatened and endangered species that use the lake are conserved.
3. WHY WERE KINGSLEY DAM AND THE LAKES BUILT? The dam and Lake McConaughy, which is Nebraska's largest reservoir, were constructed between 1936 and 1941 in order to store water from the North Platte River to be used for irrigation in central Nebraska. Lake Ogallala, the "little lake," was formed from the pumping of the loess soil into Kingsley Dam. A hydro-electric plant was added to the system in 1984.
4. WHAT AFFECTS WATER LEVELS? As an irrigation reservoir, Lake McConaughy's levels are affected by numerous complex factors, including periodic drought cycles, snowpack in the mountains above the North Platte River Basin, levels in the Bureau of Reclamation's reservoirs in the North Platte River Basin, irrigation releases, and environmental account releases. Daily updates on lake elevation, percentage of capacity, inflows, and outflows are provided at www.cnppid.com/lake-river-data.
5. WHAT KINGSLEY DAM MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR PROJECTS ARE EXPECTED? HOW WILL THE WATER LEVELS BE AFFECTED? According to CNPPID: "During the spring of 2022 prolonged strong winds displaced material on the face of the dam. Inspections revealed that the protective facing was inadequate and, without repair, further loss of material over time will occur. To ensure future integrity, remediation of the upstream facing of the dam is necessary. There are no immediate threats to the dam or unusual leaking and, if the water level is kept such that waves cannot reach the damaged area, there would be no change in the dam's stability.
Unfortunately, the problem behind the damage appears to be systemic to the current design, and therefore the fix is not as simple as just replacing the displaced material. Repairs are likely to entail an engineered replacement of much of the dam’s protective face, and Central has retained the services of a qualified engineering firm to assist in the evaluation of options and to design a permanent solution. Unfortunately, many details, including the composition of any new dam facing, when the work will be done, and what disruptions there might be to reservoir water levels or traffic across the dam during construction are all unknown at this time.
The continued safe and reliable operation of Kingsley Dam is of the utmost importance to Central and the wide range of stakeholders that we serve. Please know that we are working expeditiously towards the best long-term solution."
Officials say a date has not yet been set for the repair project, but it is unlikely to begin before the fall of 2025.
Answers to these FAQs were provided in partnership with CNPPID and NGP. If you have further questions, please reach out to these entities directly.
CNPPID (www.cnppid.com)
NE Game and Parks (www.outdoornebraska.gov)
ILoveLakeMac.com is a tourism website, provided as a service of the Keith County Visitors Committee.