Johnson Lake is one of the most popular and well-developed recreation areas in Nebraska with an average of about 500,000 annual visitor-days. Located seven miles southwest of Lexington and six miles north of Elwood, the lake is not large (11 miles of shoreline and 2,500 surface acres), but its variety of recreational opportunities, central location and accessibility help draw large numbers of visitors. In addition, more than 900 homes and cabins line the shores of the lake.

Created in the late 1970s as part of a project to rehabilitate and improve the E65 Canal system, the Elwood Reservoir was formed by damming one end of a series of canyons and pumping water into the resulting reservoir from the E65 Canal. At maximum pool, the lake contains almost 25,000 acre-feet of water and covers more than 1,300 acres. The amount of water in the reservoir decreases each summer as the irrigation season progresses, but the lake is refilled annually.

Water released by Central from Lake McConaughy for irrigation and/or power generation is either diverted into the Nebraska Public Power District’s supply canal or passes through Keystone Dam and flows about 50 miles down the North Platte River to Central’s diversion dam. Water from NPPD’s supply canal returns to the Platte River just above Central’s diversion dam. The diversion dam, located just below the confluence of the North and South Platte Rivers, diverts water into Central’s Supply Canal, which runs for 75.5 miles on the south side of the Platte River Valley.

Lake Ogallala lies below Kingsley Dam. Created when sand was pumped from the river bed to form the downstream side of Kingsley Dam, the lake has approximately four miles of shoreline. The lake’s water remains cold even during the summer because it is drawn through Kingsley Dam from the bottom of Lake McConaughy. The cold water is not suitable for water sports, but makes it appealing to trout and other species of fish that prefer cold water.

Lake McConaughy is one of Nebraska’s most popular recreational attractions according to the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism. The lake and the surrounding land are used for a wide variety of recreational pursuits, some unique in Nebraska. This variety of attractions helps explain why a lake located in a sparsely populated state and more than 200 miles from any major metropolitan area is so popular with visitors.