Flooding: It’s not something most people think about until it happens. And you shouldn’t have to. That’s why we’re here.
For over 50 years, the Papio NRD has worked to help protect our communities by reducing the risk of flooding in the Omaha metro and other parts of our District.
We’re busy building and managing flood reduction structures such as reservoirs, levees, channels, and more, to help keep our loved ones, homes, and businesses safe.
How a Reservoir works
A reservoir is a man-made lake designed to reduce flooding. Heavy rainfall or snowmelt can cause rivers, streams, and creeks to get too full and flood nearby areas. Reservoirs are built on these waterways to store excess water and slowly release it. This reduces the amount of water flowing downstream and the risk of flooding.
How a levee works
A levee is a raised wall of compacted earth built along a river or stream designed to keep water within its banks. It creates a barrier that reduces the river’s risk of overflowing and flooding the area.
We've built 103 flood reduction structures to help protect our communities from flooding. Six more reservoirs are in progress.
The Papio NRD helps protect over one-third of Nebraska’s population from the impact of flooding throughout the Papillion Creek Watershed. This includes portions of Douglas, Sarpy, and Washington counties.
The Papillion Creek Watershed is an area in eastern Nebraska where rain and snowmelt gather and flow into the Papillion Creek system, threading through our communities to the Missouri River. It is the state’s most flood-prone watershed.
Our reservoirs, levees, and other mitigation measures minimize the risk of flooding by slowing the flow of downstream water of the Papillion Creek’s three main streams:
The Papio NRD is also reducing flood risk, improving water quality, soil health, and stream stability in watersheds in other parts of our District (Washington, Burt, and Dakota counties).
The Papio NRD has built reservoirs, levees, and other mitigation structures throughout the Omaha metro and District watersheds to help protect our communities from flooding. With urban development and increased extreme weather patterns, the need for more mitigation systems is even greater. And more are on the way.
The Papio NRD and Papillion Creek Watershed Partnership developed a watershed management plan, updated every five years, that prioritizes planned flood reduction projects throughout the watershed.
Flood maps provide valuable information about flood-prone areas, enabling families and communities throughout our District to understand their flood risk and determine actions to help protect their homes and businesses.
The Papio NRD is here to help. We work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and community partners to identify flood risk in the communities we serve. Technical assistance is available to cities, counties, other zoning jurisdictions, developers, insurance agents and individuals seeking flood hazard information and recommendations on proper uses of our floodplains.
In February 2022, FEMA released preliminary flood maps for Douglas and Sarpy counties. While many of these maps are based on data from the 1990s, with better technology, 25 years of additional weather data, and construction of various flood reduction projects, the preliminary maps will allow Omaha metro area communities better manage flood risk.
When the updated FEMA maps go into effect, flood insurance requirements could change for some property owners.
You can search property addresses to see if your property is affected by new maps.
We offer programs that provide financial and technical assistance to property owners, governmental entities, and municipalities to help identify flood prone areas and develop projects to reduce flood risk and damage.
Hazards such as severe storms, floods, droughts, and fires can cause severe damage. Hazard mitigation planning is an essential process the Papio NRD uses to help District communities and local entities identify the top natural and human-caused hazards they may face and develop strategies to reduce their impact.
A Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) enables communities to become more prepared and resilient before, during and after a disaster. Community-developed HMPs have been proven to save lives, increase recovery speed, and decrease economic losses, which is why citizen involvement in the planning process is highly encouraged.
By developing an approved HMP, District communities can access valuable Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant funding to significantly reduce disaster risks and damages.
