Public Open House: Dakota County Rural Water Service Expansion

 

A public open house meeting will be held on Thursday, October 24, 2019 at the Hubbard Community Center from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.

The Dakota County Rural Water System wants to see you! Rural water service has been available in parts of Dakota County since 1980.  Expansion plans include adding services lines near Fiddler Creek Road, Kramper Lake at the Danish Alps SRA, and Hubbard.

Dakota County Rural Water staff will be present to discuss proposed water system expansion details and opportunities for service connections. Here is a document that outlines the potential expansion phasing options.

If you are unable to attend the open house but would still like to know more about the water system expansion or opportunities for service connections, please contact Zach Nelson at 402.444.6222 or znelson@papionrd.org.

Papio-Missouri NRD – Dakota County Field Office – 1505 Broadway Street Dakota City, NE 68731

 

 

 

 

Papio NRD and Nebraska Dignitaries Celebrate Start of Upgrades to Offutt Air Force Base Levees

Historic flood hit weeks before levee project was to begin,
causing catastrophic damage
to the base and surrounding area

 The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, Nebraska Congressional Delegation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Offutt Air Force Base, and other dignitaries today celebrated the start of repairs and upgrades to two levees at Offutt Air Force Base following the historic flood of 2019.

The March flood severely damaged the Missouri River Levee System that protects Offutt Air Force Base, resulting in nearly $1 billion in damage to the base. The nearby Papillion Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant and levee system sustained more than $45 million in damage. The flooding occurred just weeks before the Papio NRD was to begin federally mandated upgrades to the levees.

From L-R. Rita Sanders, District Representative for Congressman Jeff Fortenberry; Congressman Don Bacon; Governor Pete Ricketts; John Winkler, Papio NRD General Manager; Colonel John Hudson, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike; Jim Thompson, Papio NRD Chairperson; and Colonel Alan Dayton, Offutt Air Force Base Mission Support Group Commander

“While timing of the flooding was certainly unfortunate, today we have great reason to celebrate,”  said John Winkler, general manager of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District. “Like anything worthwhile, it wasn’t easy and the weather didn’t help. However, the historic floods of 2011 and 2019 only slowed us down. They never deterred us from the mission,” said Winkler.

During the week of September 9th, the Papio NRD, in cooperation and coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, started the levee construction – raising and widening levees R-613 and R-616 – to provide increased flood risk protection to the area of tremendous infrastructure.

“That’s what this project represents, that spirit of Nebraska,” said Governor Pete Ricketts. “Not allowing ourselves to be defeated by Mother Nature, but willing to work together to build bigger and better than before. To rebuild this levee. To protect Offutt Air Force Base so they can continue their mission of protecting us,” said Ricketts.

Congressman Don Bacon said the levee project is an important milestone because without the levee system upgrades, the Unites States Air Force was not willing to replace the flooded Offutt Air Force Base runway.

“This levee is important for that runway, which costs $170 million to totally redo,” said Congressman Bacon. “Without the commitment to raise this levee, we would not get the replacement of $300 million to replace the buildings that were destroyed,” said Bacon.

“We are in the process of finishing the first contract, which was to restore levee R-616 and R-613 to its pre-flood condition,” said Colonel John Hudson of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.” That contractor’s efforts will be wrapping up here in the next week. That sets the condition for the Papio NRD’s contract to start work to raise the levee that additional two to three feet,” said Colonel Hudson.

The $35 million Missouri River Levee System project is estimated to be completed by 2021.

Additional speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony included District Representative Rita Sanders on behalf of Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike, Offutt Air Force Base Mission Support Group Commander Colonel Alan Dayton, and Papio NRD Chairperson Jim Thompson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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