Water Quality

Watershed Projects

Watersheds are areas of land that drain rainfall or snowmelt run off to a specific location, generally a creek or lake. Listed below are some projects utilizing watersheds to help reduce pollution, provide erosion control, and improve water quality.

Clean Lakes Projects

To preserve the lifespan of area recreational lakes, the NRD has teamed with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and other government and private groups to greatly reduce the amount of pollution-laden sediment entering these needed and appreciated bodies of water.

Wehrspann Lake Project

Located at Chalco Hills Recreation Area southwest of Omaha, this 240-acre reservoir with a thirteen-square-mile watershed, has been greatly enhanced through a Clean Lakes effort. The Wehrspann Lake Project offered a wide variety of educational and water improvement activities for upstream rural and urban residents. Considerable funding for this project was received from the US Environmental Protection Agency through the NE Department of Environmental Quality. The Sarpy County Extension also participated in this highly successful project.

A fish population report, published in 1996 by the NE Game and Parks Commission, shows Wehrspann Lake to be one of the top five lakes in the state for Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and Crappie.

Walnut Creek Lake And Recreation Area

Using Wehrspann Lake accomplishments as a prototype, similar water quality projects are underway at Walnut Creek Lake and Recreation Area near Papillion.

Other Targeted Watersheds

Pigeon Jones Project

The Pigeon/Jones Project is a comprehensive watershed effort that will provide flood control, erosion and sediment control and grade stabilization benefits in the 20,316 acre Pigeon/Jones Creek Watershed in Dakota County. The benefits will be realized on thousands of acres of irrigated cropland in the Missouri River bottomlands where the combined Pigeon and Jones Creek empty into the Pigeon Creek Levee System. Eighteen sediment and erosion control structures are planned for this watershed. Five have been completed.

In addition, the construction of Pigeon/Jones Flood Control Site #15 will create a 228 surface acre lake with 595 acres of additional park land. Recreational opportunities will include “no wake” boating, fishing, 3.8 miles of hiking and biking trails, 10 miles of equestrian trails and separate RV campgrounds, equestrian campgrounds and tent campgrounds. The steep terrain will also be uniquely suited to mountain biking on trails provided for that use. The structure is currently being designed and it is slated for construction during 2010-2012.

Partnering with the NRD on this project are the NE Resources Development Fund, NE Dept of Environmental Quality, NE Game and Parks Commission, NE Environmental Trust, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and Dakota County.

New York Creek

This watershed, located in northern Washington County, experienced severe soil erosion in the upland areas and sediment damages downstream. Increased cost sharing funds and personnel were targeted within this watershed over a 5 year period. More than 50% of the watershed is adequately protected compared to only 30% in 1987 when the targeting effort began.

Silver Creek

Silver Creek is a 25 square mile watershed located on the Missouri River Bluffs northwest of Tekamah in eastern Burt County. Because of its strongly sloping terrain, soil erosion, grade stabilization and sedimentation are problems. Sediment from Sheet, rill and gully erosion is deposited in the drainage ditches of the Burt-Washington Drainage District where it must be removed at considerable expense to the District. The Silver Creek Special Watershed Plan calls for the construction of terraces, waterways and erosion control dams to lessen soil erosion. Since the initiation of this project in July 1994, twenty-two of the twenty-six watershed dams have been constructed.

Sport

The Special Project for Omaha's Recreation of Tomorrow was created to protect the Papio Lakes (Standing Bear, Cunningham, Zorinsky, Wehrspan, and most recently Walnut Creek) from sedimentation. Sediment originating from soil erosion from cropland and urban development decreases the Papio Lakes value for recreation. Construction of terraces, waterways, erosion control dams as well as urban erosion control measures has greatly decreased the amount of sediment reaching These Papillion Creek Watershed lakes. There is more than 9,000 acres of land in the watersheds above these flood prevention structures.

Hanson's Lake

This special watershed project was initiated to improve water quality and reduce the rate of sediment deposition in Hanson's Lake in southern Sarpy County. Land treatment, including terraces, waterways and sediment basins will reduce erosion rates in the watershed and address the problems in Hanson's Lake. The key component in this plan is a large erosion control/grade stabilization dam completed in 1999.

For more information contact Ralph Puls, Land and Water Programs Coordinator at 402-444-6222 or rpuls@papionrd.org

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