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5.17.03 Last permit approved for M.U.D. plant The Metropolitan Utilities District in Omaha has received the last permit it needs to proceed with a $300 million water treatment plant and wellfield along the Platte River. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted the Section 404 permit on Friday. It was signed by Col. Kurt Ubbelohde, district commander, and M.U.D. general manager Tom Wurtz. The federal permit was needed because the project would disturb wetlands. The project would straddle the Platte River in Saunders and Douglas counties. Water would be pumped from up to 46 wells on both sides of the river and taken to an Omaha treatment plant. The Platte West facility would provide an additional 100 million gallons of drinking water daily, M.U.D. spokeswoman Mari Matulka said. The utility currently pumps about 234 million gallons during summer and averages about 97 million gallons daily at other times of the year. Local landowners have criticized the project because it would lower water levels of lakes, ponds and wells, including Two Rivers State Recreation Area. At least one landowner has filed a complaint with the state Department of Natural Resources asking it to void state permits granted for the project. M.U.D. received those permits in 1998. Saunders County officials also have challenged M.U.D.'s state application and permits, citing concerns over lost farmland productivity, declines in property values and damage to wildlife habitat. More recently, fears have been raised about possible contamination from the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant near Mead. The EPA has found elevated levels of radioactivity in water samples taken from groundwater on the site. Corps officials have said they will put conditions in place on the permit to protect public health and safety if there is a contamination problem. Meanwhile, the EPA plans to conduct more tests to determine the source of the contamination. Jill Solberg, a spokeswoman for the corps, said there are conditions in the permit, but they are not specifically related to radioactivity or other contamination. "Certain milestones during planning, design and construction have to come through the corps," Solberg said. "They have to monitor the wellfield and avoid any adverse impacts on the Mead site." Said Wurtz: "There's conditions attached to the permit that we have worked on with the corps and the EPA that fully protect all interests." Wurtz said it will take two years to design and three years to build the facility. "During this five-year period, we will work with the EPA, the corps and adjoining landowners," he said. "We will manage the resource of the Platte River water and operate in an environmentally sound manner that does not harm agricultural or recreational interests." The M.U.D. board will hold a special meeting May 30 to ratify Wurtz's signature on the permit and approve a design consultant. That contract is worth $11.5 million, said Matulka. "The Platte West facility will be an economic growth engine for the metro area and adjacent counties for the next 50 years," board Chairman Mark Doyle said. M.U.D. has a moratorium on new water connections outside its franchise area. Wurtz said it is the district's intent to lift the moratorium "so we can get the economy moving again." |
Where: The Metropolitan Utilities District's new well field will draw water from the Platte River aquifer, along the Saunders-Douglas County line. The treatment plant will be built at 216th and Q Streets. Cost: $300 million, of which $120 million already has been set aside. When: Scheduled for summer 2008. What's next: On May 30, the M.U.D. board will approve the permit and OK a design contract. Design work is expected to take two years, construction three years | |||