page_title: Lake McConaughy
section_title: History and overview
hierarchical_section_title: Lake McConaughy / History and overview
caption_attribution_description: English: Aerial view of Lake McConaughy from the south
context_page_description: Lake McConaughy is a reservoir on the North Platte River. It is located 9 miles north of Ogallala, Nebraska, United States, near U.S. Highway 26 and Nebraska Highway 61. The reservoir was named for Charles W. McConaughy, a grain merchant and mayor of Holdrege, Nebraska, one of the leading promoters of the project. Although he did not live to see the completion of the project, his leadership and perseverance eventually culminated in a public power and irrigation project that helped Nebraska become one of the nation's leading agricultural states.
context_section_description: The lake, formed by Kingsley Dam, is a man-made body of water that is 22 miles (35 km) long, 4 miles (6.4 km) wide at its largest point, and 142 feet (43 m) deep near the dam (at full capacity) – it was constructed between 1936 and 1941 and is fed by the North Platte River.  When full, the reservoir has a capacity of 1,740,000 acre feet (2.15 km³), covers 35,700 acres (144 km²) and has 76 miles (122 km) of shoreline, making it the largest reservoir in Nebraska.
  Lake McConaughy was constructed to store water for irrigation for The Tri-County, later renamed Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District (CNPPID) hydro-irrigation project.  A hydro-electric plant was later added and went online in 1984. 
  The total cost of the Project was $43 million, paid by a $19 million PWA grant and a $24 million federal loan (the federal debt was paid off when the loan was refinanced in 1972; the refinanced portion of the debt was paid off in 1995). The Depression-era construction project provided jobs to more than 1,500 people. CNPPID, a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska, owns and operates the dam and reservoir and an associated hydroplant below the dam.
  The source of water for Lake McConaughy is primarily the North Platte River.  Water flows into the lake from a 32,500-square-mile (84,000 km²) drainage area west of the dam.  U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs on the North Platte River in Wyoming capture precipitation and snowmelt from the mountains and utilize the water for irrigation and hydroelectric production within the North Platte Projects.  Return flows from these projects to the North Platte River make up a significant portion of the inflows to Lake McConaughy.
  On the east side of Kingsley Dam is Lake Ogallala, commonly called the 'Little Lake'. Water flows out of Lake McConaughy through the Morning Glory tower, and out the other side of the dam through the hydroelectric plant into Lake Ogallala where the water continues flowing down the North Platte River. This smaller lake has rocky shores, but is well known for great camping and fishing.
  Lake McConaughy is also a popular location for fishing, boating, water sports, camping and hunting.
  The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) operates a State Recreation Area at the lake.  NGPC's offices are at the Lake McConaughy Visitors Center just south of the dam.  The Visitor Center contains a water interpretive center, gift shop, theater, and information office.
  The current superintendent of Lake McConaughy State Recreation Area is Leesa Ricci.
caption: Aerial view of Lake McConaughy from the south
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