10.15.08
 
M.U.D. dedicates new water treatment plant upstream from Lincoln's wellfields
by Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal-Star

The Lincoln Water System has a new thirsty neighbor on the Platte River: a state-of-the-art $352 million water treatment plant built by the Metropolitan Utilities District.

After more than three decades of planning, overcoming regulatory hurdles, and opposition from area landowners, M.U.D. officials began pumping water from the Platte River in July.

The Platte West Water Treatment Plant, the largest construction project in the utility’s history, is designed to meet Omaha’s water needs for the next 50 to 60 years. Platte West is M.U.D.’s third water treatment plant.

M.U.D. officials dedicated the project on Wednesday. About 200 guests, including state and Lincoln Water System officials, were invited to the ceremony held in a massive, gray-colored building north of Gretna.

 “Today, we celebrate the completion of the triangle of reliability! We now have three water treatment plants surrounding the metro area to provide a reliable, abundant supply of high quality water,” said M.U.D. board chairman Tom Dowd in prepared remarks.

M.U.D. also operates the Florence Water Treatment Plant on the Missouri River and the Platte South Water Treatment Plant south of Bellevue. Platte West, about 6 miles upstream from Lincoln’s wellfields and water treatment plant near Ashland, adds another 100 million gallon to the M.U.D. drinking water distribution system.

Together, all three plants can pump 334 million gallons of water per day. By comparison, the pumping capacity of Lincoln Water System is 100 million gallons per day.

Lincoln Water System and M.U.D. officials have discussed at length the issue of whether the Platte West Water Treatment Plant would impact Lincoln’s water supply. Based on computer modeling simulations and other data, they’ve concluded that there would be no harm to Lincoln’s drinking water supply.

“Our intent is to be a good neighbor with everyone on the river,” said M.U.D. president Tom Wurtz during a recent media tour of the new water treatment plant. “We understand we share the water.”

Wurtz said that if Lincoln ever experienced a water supply or shortage problem, M.U.D. would curtail pumping at its Platte West Water Treatment Plant. He said the new plant will be used mostly during the summer, when water demand is the highest. It also will give M.U.D. the opportunity to rebuild its two other water treatment plants.

 In addition to providing a triangle of reliability, M.U.D. views Platte West as vital to the area’s growth. Wurtz said companies look at the cost of water but also a utility’s ability to provide that water well into the future.

 “Omaha is the greatest driver of revenue for the State of Nebraska. Our goal has always been to provide an economic growth engine for Omaha and the surrounding area,” Dowd said. “We’ve already seen Platte West’s economic development in western Douglas and Sarpy counties. We’ve put our community on solid footing for responsible growth.”

Construction on of the Platte West Water Treatment Plant started in the spring of 2003. More than 1,200 skilled craftsmen have worked on the project since then, many  from area labor organizations, Dowd said.

The utility had $135 million when it began construction and financed $196 million with bonds. Wurtz said the utility has tried to keep rates low but customers can expect to see about a 5 percent increase over the next few years.

M.U.D. began planning for a third water treatment plant in 1972 and bought land northeast of  Yutan for the project. However, it sold the property after it found a better location, with a more productive aquifer and better water quality. Platte West is about 4 miles from the Platte River.

The change in location and M.U.D.'s plan to pump huge amounts of water from the river created opposition from landowners in Saunders and Douglas counties. They were concerned that increased pumping of the alluvial aquifer would lower the water table and reduce water levels in area ponds and lakes.

The Platte West Water Treatment Plant has not been in operation long enough to determine what impact pumping  will have on area ponds and lakes. However, M.U.D. officials say their goal is to not cause any damage to neighboring property, but if it does happen, they will work with landowners to compensate them.

Water for the Platte West Water Treatment Plant will come from 42 wells, 26 of those drilled on 1,200 acres in Saunders County, and 16 wells drilled on about 1,000 acres in Douglas County. The wellfield is connected to the water treatment plant by a four-mile pipeline, parts of which are under the Platte and Elkhorn rivers.

Environmentalists and area residents also worry that the increased pumping would draw contaminated ground water from the former Nebraska Ordnance Plant into the Platte River. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Corps of Engineers both say that won’t happen.

“EPA offers assurance to the community that proper steps have been taken and will be taken in the future so that the M.U.D. Platte West Water Treatment Plant will not be impacted by contamination from the Nebraska Ordnance site,” wrote Scott Marquess, remedial project manager for the Superfund site near Mead, in a Sept. 2 letter.

Marquess based EPA’s assessment on the following facts:

* The extent of the groundwater contamination at the ordinance plant has been well defined.

* Computer modeling predicts that contamination from the ordnance plant should not migrate to the new M.U.D. plant when the utility is pumping at permitted rates, and

* A “robust” monitoring program has been underway at the site for some time and will continue into the future. This provides an early warning mechanism, so that, if necessary, timely corrective actions can be taken to  contain and keep contaminants from entering the wellfield.

To keep down costs, M.U.D. officials, in partnership with the engineering firm HDR, designed the Platte West plant to be as energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible. For example, the utility installed wetland rain gardens to delay runoff from rooftops and paved areas. Low-voltage control systems and controlled lighting also help reduce electricity use. And native grasses, which require less water, have been planted around the plant.

Despite the added pumping capacity, M.U.D. says it plans to continue its water conservation program to ensure that the plant will be able to meet the needs of the Omaha metro area for the next 50 to 60 years.

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