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12.16.02 Plan could put cities in a water bind When drought struck the Midlands last summer, water levels along the Platte River aquifer dropped so low that Lincoln required its residents to restrict water. So what will happen when Omaha's $300 million well field and water plant come online, upstream of Lincoln's wells? The capital city has senior water rights over MUD's new wells, which means that if Lincoln wanted to, it could require Omaha to restrict pumping at its new plant in deference to Lincoln's needs. Jerry Obrist, chief engineer for Lincoln's water system, said he doesn't envision a competitive relationship between the state's two largest cities. "We would work with Omaha," Obrist said, "because we're talking about customers in the state of Nebraska. There is no reason for us to fight about it." Working together, he said, would mean that if Lincoln were on mandatory water restrictions, it would expect Omaha to do the same thing. Omaha, which has access to more water via the Missouri River, asked its customers to voluntarily conserve water last summer but did not mandate restrictions. Tom Wurtz, general manager for the Metropolitan Utilities District, said he also sees a collaborative effort between the cities and with agriculture interests. In reality, Wurtz and Obrist said, cities such as Omaha and Lincoln are minor players in the use of water in Nebraska. Irrigation accounts for about 90 percent of the demand for water from the Platte River aquifer, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The corps' analysis indicates that on rare occasions the river could drop low enough to affect MUD's new plant. When drought is that severe, Wurtz said, the utility would be working with everyone to conserve water. |
The Metropolitan Utilities District plans to expand its peak capacity by almost 40 percent - - with the intent of meeting maximum demand for at least 30 years. Water source: Platte River aquifer. Cost: $300 million to build, $7.3 million a year to operate and maintain. Water rates already have gone up to pay for the plant. How much water? The new plant would be allowed to pump 19 billion gallons a year from the aquifer, enough to fill about 15 square miles with water six feet deep. (Note: 1.42 trillion gallons flow past this site in an average year.) M.U.D. would be allowed to pump up to 104 million gallons on any given day but would be restricted to an annual average of 52 million gallons a day. M.U.D. currently can pump 234 million gallons a day. In 2030, it is expected to need 330 million gallons during the hottest, driest days. When: The plant is expected to take five years to bring on line. M.U.D. would begin work next year. Where: The wells would be placed along the Platte River southeast of Yutan, in both Saunders and Douglas Counties. The water plant would be built at 216th and Q Streets. Who receives M.U.D. water? 176,000 customers in Omaha, Bellevue, Ralston, La Vista, Elkhorn, Bennington, Fort Calhoun and Waterloo. | |||