Lake McConaughy Boater Access Improvement

Background

If Lake McConaughy sounds familiar to you, that may have something to do with it being the largest reservoir in Nebraska. With the reservoir spanning an impressive 30,000 surface acres, it makes sense that this is one of the most popular recreation areas in the state for anyone wanting to get on the water, camp, enjoy clean sand beaches, or just hike around and feel the sun’s rays. With our great love for recreation in the beautiful outdoors, we at Houston Engineering, Inc (HEI) were thrilled to put on our hiking boots and lend a helping hand in designing improvement projects at the lake.

The Project

A big issue the lake faces is during the summer months when the lake’s water levels can drop more than 15 feet. This results in the Martin Bay boat ramp becoming a difficult location to launch from due to the low slope and lengthy back-down distance.

HEI was able to provide our expertise through a series of bathymetric surveys, design plans for shoreline protection, and the redesign of the existing Martin Bay ramp.

A boat ramp and taxiway concept were developed that would improve traffic circulation while directing vehicles away from sensitive shoreline habitat areas.

This new design significantly reduced the distance users are required to back up their trailers and the increased boat launching slope helps keep boaters from needing to back vehicles far into the water during launch.

The new ramp design was integrated into the existing ramp to save on construction costs and to allow for a phased construction plan that works with the fluctuating water level.

Learn more about this project in our StoryMap.