Historic flooding on the Platte River in 2019 put Lincoln’s water supply in a precarious position.
As a complex storm system ripped across Nebraska in mid-March, dropping heavy rains on frozen ground that quickly filled waterways and inundated low-lying areas, power was knocked out to Lincoln’s wellfields near Ashland.
City leaders put mandatory water restrictions in place as they waited for the waters to recede so they could inspect whether or not the wells and the main that carries water to Lincoln remained intact.
“It jarred our community from a water reliability standpoint,” Lincoln Transportation and Utilities Director Liz Elliott told state lawmakers on Wednesday.
The near crisis also led Lincoln to accelerate its efforts to secure a second water source, Elliott testified before the Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee.
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So far, the city has identified two possibilities, Elliott said. The first would be a link to the Metropolitan Utilities District’s connection to the Missouri River, while the second would be building a direct connection to the Missouri River itself.
Digging a new well just outside city limits wouldn’t be feasible: “This is the Salt Creek Valley for a reason,” Elliott told the committee. “The water around here — around Lincoln specifically — is very salty.”
Connecting to Omaha’s water utility or the Missouri River directly would be pricey, however. The current estimates range between $350 million and $800 million.
A bill (LB1081) introduced by Lincoln Sen. Eliot Bostar would appropriate $200 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to the Department of Natural Resources to help fund efforts to secure the Capital City a new source of water.
The grants could be used for the design, construction and implementation of new water projects, including water treatment plants, acquisition of land, permitting, pumping and transporting water over 25 miles.
In addition to ensuring Lincoln residents have a safe, secure water supply during extreme flooding or a drought, Bostar said a second water source would also help ensure the city's future growth.
Lincoln Transportation and Utilities provides water to nearly 292,000 residents; that number is projected to grow to 470,000 by 2060, he told the committee.
“It’s imperative that we take this opportunity to invest in the economic and public health of our future,” Bostar said. “We are unlikely to see such an infusion of federal dollars again, and it’s crucial that these resources be used where they can do the most good.”
Elliott told the committee that without a second water source, Lincoln could be forced to make a call on the Platte River in the future, which could prevent farmers from using the river to irrigate their crops.
“Providing us a second water source will minimize the need for any kind of call on the river that will impact farmers,” she said.
The options being considered by Lincoln could potentially create a regional water supply that other communities and farmers in Southeast Nebraska could tap into, she said.
Lash Chaffin, speaking on behalf of the League of Nebraska Municipalities in support of LB1081, said “source water is going to become increasingly difficult to find” across the state.
He told the committee Lincoln has helped engineer water projects for communities that have developed new regional water systems, and said those communities believe Lincoln should be able to find a secondary source as well.
“I think a lot of people would like to see them dip their toe in the water,” Chaffin said.
The Lincoln Independent Business Association said it supported Lincoln securing a second water source, but noted it was “a critical issue that comes with a hefty price tag,” according to policy and research coordinator Jack Russell.
The committee did not take action on the bill Wednesday.