November 15, 2011

Floodplain Ordinances

Click here for a copy of the City of Bellevue, State of Nebraska, and Federal regulations regarding floodplain management.

September 14, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

The Missouri River along the R-616 and R-613 levee system remains at 1 to 2 feet onto the levees The overall height of the levees is 10 feet. It is anticipated that this area south of Bellevue will drop below flood stage by October 1st.

For safety reasons the Bellevue Loop Trail, atop the R-616 levee, will remain closed throughout the remainder of 2011. Considerable cleanup, silt removal and minor repairs will be done on the levees.  

The Natural Resources District is extremely grateful to the young men and women volunteers of the AmeriCorps organization who recently served our area by patrolling the levees during daytime hours. The AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) group has completed their levee surveillance work for the NRD.

The NRD also thanks the US Army Corps of Engineers for their assistance in strengthening sections of the levees and the NE National Guard members who patrolled the levees during this high water event. Personnel from the City of Bellevue, Sarpy County, State of Nebraska, and Offutt Air Force Base also greatly enhanced this crucial flood control effort.

AmeriCorps NCCC volunteers shown with NRD personnel

 

August 10, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

The Missouri River stage at Omaha continues to decrease. However, additional upstream rainfall can impact stages in a short period of time. Today the river stage at Omaha is at 34.3 feet (11:00 a.m. reading). Flows are currently at about 4.5 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

The Natural Resources District is extremely grateful to the young men and women volunteers of the AmeriCorps organization who are serving our area by patrolling the levees during daytime hours. A local security company is doing overnight levee surveillance.

AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) is a full-time, team-based residential program for men and women age 18-24. Their mission is to strengthen communities and develop leaders through direct, team-based national and community service.

August 1, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

The Missouri River stage at Omaha has decreased slightly. However, additional upstream rainfall can impact stages in a short period of time. Today the river stage at Omaha is at 34.9 feet (11:00 a.m. reading). Flows are currently at about 6 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

The Natural Resources District is grateful to the men and women of the NE National Guard for their invaluable assistance in monitoring the levees on a 24-hr basis throughout this high water event. On an interim basis, City of Bellevue police and the Sarpy County Sheriff’ Dept. are doing overnight levee surveillance and an Omaha engineering firm will be monitoring the levee during daytime hours. Ongoing surveillance plans will be developed later this week.

We anticipate lower stages later this week of approximately ½ ft. due to the US Army Corps of Engineers plan to reduce releases from upstream reservoirs. It is anticipated that the river will remain at this level for approximately 2 weeks. The Corps plans further reductions in the weeks ahead.

July 18, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

The Missouri River stage at Omaha continues to be stable.  However, additional upstream rainfall can impact stages in a short period of time. Today the river stage at Omaha is at 35.1 feet (9:00 a.m. reading). Flows are currently at about 6 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

On July 18 and 19th, the US Army Corps of Engineers will be installing a levee seepage blanket to bolster the R-616 levee along an 800 linear foot segment near Haworth Park where levee seepage has been occurring. The entire levee system continues to perform well under the current long-term flood condition.

July 11, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

The Missouri River stage at Omaha has fallen slightly over the last few days and has stabilized at this level. However, additional upstream rainfall can impact stages in a short period of time. Today the river stage at Omaha is at 35.0 feet. Flows are currently at about 6 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

On July 8th and 9th, the US Army Corps of Engineers installed a levee seepage blanket to bolster the levee along a 1,000 linear foot segment in a location where sand boils had been occurring. This new levee seepage blanket, near Omaha’s Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, is performing as desired. The entire levee system continues to perform well under the current long-term flood condition.

July 6, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

The Missouri River stage at Omaha has fallen over the last few days and appears to be stabilizing at this level. However, additional upstream rainfall can impact stages in a short period of time. Today the river stage at Omaha is at 35.4 feet. Flows are currently at about 6.5 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

On July 2nd and 3rd, the US Army Corps of Engineers installed a seepage blanket to bolster the levee in a 200 ft x 200 ft area in a location where sand boils had been occurring. The seepage blanket is performing very well. The entire levee system is performing well under the current long-term flood condition.

Bellevue area volunteers helped fill 9,000 sandbags last week to assist the NRD in the flood fighting effort. Additional volunteers to fill sandbags will be requested as necessary.

July 1, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

June 27,2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

Missouri River flows have continued to increase slightly over the past few days. The stage at Omaha today is 35.2 feet, compared to 34.7 feet on June 24th. The water has risen slightly on the R-616 and R-613 levees. Flows are currently at 6.5 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

The National Guard continues to offer invaluable assistance by conducting walking surveillance of the levee systems, 24 hours a day. 

A number of wet areas have been located on the landward side of the R-616 and R-613 levees. Wet areas and sand boils are to be expected and are part of the normal pattern of seepage. These areas are being monitored and maintained to ensure the integrity of the levees.

June 24, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees

Missouri River flows have continued to increase slightly over the past few days. The stage at Omaha today is 34.7 feet, or 5.7 feet above flood  stage (10:00 a.m. reading). The water has risen slightly on the R-616 and R-613 levees since the June 22nd update. Flows are currently at approximately 6 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

Through assistance from Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, the National Guard continues to conduct walking surveillance of the levee systems, 24 hours a day. 

A number of wet areas have been located on the landward side of the R-616 and R-613 levees. Wet areas and sand boils are to be expected and are part of the normal pattern of seepage. These areas are being monitored and maintained by NRD staff to ensure the integrity of the levees.

June 22, 2011

R-616 and R-613 Levees
 

June 16, 2011
 

R-616 and R-613 Levees

As of this morning, the height of Missouri River flows onto the R-616 and R-613 levees remain the same as reported on June 15, 2011. Flows are stabilized at 3.5 feet onto the levee system. The overall height of the levees is 10 feet.

NRD staff remains ready to monitor these levees on a 24-hr basis as needed. Trained personnel from Offutt Air Force Base may be joining with NRD staff to enhance levee monitoring next week.

 

June 15, 2011

R-616 and R613 Levees

Missouri River flows continue to rise slightly against the R-616 and R-613 levees. As of this morning, Missouri River water is now approximately 3.5 feet onto the levees. This is a rise of about one foot since June 13th. The overall height of the levee is 10 feet. NRD staff remains ready to monitor the levee on a 24-hr basis as needed. Pumping is being done is some areas to remove internal (land side) drainage.

(Above)Internal drainage being pumped over levee

Dept. of Agriculture Meeting

U.S Dept. of Agriculture officials met this morning with landowners, the Corps of Engineers, NRD and other government representatives at the NRD's Natural Resources Center office at Chalco Hills Recreation Area. The USDA officials are touring portions of Nebraska and Iowa impacted by the Missouri River high water event. USDA administers many programs to assist with recovery in rural areas reeling from natural disasters. USDA and the entire federal family have been working with state and local officials to provide relief to residents, farmers, ranchers and businesses.

June 13, 2011 Update

R-616 Levee south of Bellevue

A plan to provide uniform protection by the R-616 Levee has been developed and is underway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to meet flood protection requirements in anticipation of 150,000 cubic feet per second releases from Gavins Point Dam . The Corps is responding to a request from Sarpy County on behalf of the Papio-Missouri River NRD. Sandbagging is being used to raise the R-616 levee one or two feet in some areas to offer uniform protection to southeast Sarpy County, including the Omaha Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and Offutt Air Force Base. R-616 is a 10-mile levee south of Bellevue that runs along the Missouri River and the north side of the Papillion Creek. (a map is provided near the top of this web page).

170,000 sandbags have been filled and placed atop areas of the R-616 Levee that are slightly lower than other areas. This raising of levee segments will be completed today (Monday, June 13th). The Corps is using manpower and equipment provided by Offutt Air Force Base.

Missouri River water levels are now approximately 2 feet onto the levee. The overall height of the levee is 10 feet. NRD staff remain ready to monitor the levee on a 24-hr basis as needed.

Sandbags ready for R-613 Levee Railroad Closure

Sandbags have been prepared and are on site to close a low area at Union Pacific and BNSF Railroads rail lines crossing under Highway 75 at LaPlatte, NE. Each filled bag weighs 4 tons and will be installed as needed. The R-613 levee runs 8 miles along the Missouri and Platte Rivers and the south side of the Papillion Creek. A link to a map showing this levee location is near the top of this web page.

KMTV News story on sandbagging efforts to protect Offutt Air Force Base and Omaha Wastewater Treatment Plant

June 10, 2011

Current Levee Conditions:

The R-613 and R-616 Missouri River Levee Units are experiencing minor high water levels at this time. The average water level against the levees from the elevated stage of the Missouri River is approximately 1 foot. Papio NRD staff are walking the length of both levee systems on a daily basis to look for any areas of concern or changes to the flood level conditions. As the Missouri River water levels continue to rise, the Papio NRD will begin 24 hour levee observations. It is anticipated that the 24 hour observations will begin when the water level against the levees is approximately 3 feet. The Papio NRD is also preparing to add several short sections of sandbags to the tops of the levees. These sandbags will be placed in areas where the levee is anticipated to have less than 2 feet of freeboard at the projected maximum Missouri River stage. These sandbag areas will ensure that the levee system has a uniform level of protection throughout the entire system.

Offutt Stormwater Drains:

The Papio NRD, in cooperation with Offutt Air Force Base and assisted by the City of Omaha, has closed one stormwater drain used to carry excess rainfall from Offutt Air Force Base to the Papillion Creek. The high stages on the Missouri River will cause water levels in the Papillion Creek to also rise. The elevated water levels in the Papio will only occur a very short distance upstream from the Papio’ s confluence with the Missouri River but could impact the stormwater drains at Offutt. Personnel at Offutt chose to close the stormwater drain and install a pump system to remove stormwater from the base. The pump system will allow Offutt to discharge stormwater to the Papio Creek and alleviate the concern of backflow into the air base.

Platte River Conditions:

The current National Weather Service forecasted conditions for the Platte River do not indicate flood conditions on the Platte River. High Missouri River stages can impact the stage of the Platte River for a very short distance upstream of its confluence with the Missouri River. Residents of lake communities near the confluence of the Platte and Missouri River should continue to monitor conditions.

June 7, 2011

KMTV News story on flood fighting efforts

NRD Efforts

The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District (Papio NRD), in cooperation with the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the Burlington Northern Railroad (BN Railroad), constructed a temporary dike to serve as the closure section for the R-616 Missouri River Levee Unit. The Levee protects property along the Missouri River from Hayworth Park in Bellevue to the City of Omaha’s Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. A portion of the Levee also provides protection from high flows along the Papillion Creek from the confluence with the Missouri River to Capehart Road. The area that is protected contains critical infrastructure, many homes, some light industrial development and Offutt Air Force Base.

Under normal, or even somewhat elevated Missouri River stages, the Levee provides protection as constructed. Under extreme flow conditions, like those projected by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the complete operation of the Levee requires a short sandbag closure across the BN Railroad tracks at State Highway 370. Because of the anticipated stage and duration of the Missouri River flooding, the Corps recommended the construction of a temporary dike for the Levee closure instead of a sandbag closure. Burlington Northern agreed to remove a short section of their tracks near Hayworth Park to accommodate the temporary dike (Before construction photo).

Papio NRD staff placed fill dirt and compacted the temporary dike across the removed section of railroad tracks and covered the dike with plastic (Completed photo). The staff then placed approximately 1,500 sandbags to hold the plastic in place. The Papio NRD and the Corps expect the temporary dike to provide a better, longer term closure to address the anticipated Missouri River flood event. The Papio NRD thanks Burlington Northern Railroad for their cooperation during this flooding emergency.

June 6, 2011

Bellevue Loop Trail closed due to projected Missouri River high water

The Papio-Missouri River NRD and City of Bellevue have closed the Bellevue Loop Hiking/Biking Trail along the Missouri River and lower portion of the Papillion Creek near Bellevue. The trail runs south from Bellevue’s Haworth Park along the Missouri River to the confluence with the Papillion Creek, then northwest along Papillion Creek to Capehart Road near 13th St. The trail lies atop Missouri River levee R-616 operated by the Natural Resources District. The trail will be closed until further notice because of projected Missouri River high water. The trail may be closed for most of the summer.