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1972 HDR Engineering Inc. prepares report, "Long-Range Comprehensive Water System Master Plan," which recommends an investigation of sites for a third source of water supply. 1970s-1980s The District expands the Florence Water Treatment Plant and distribution system grid. The District also develops a peak-shaving well supply in Millard. The new plant is deferred from 1982 to 2002. Based on an aquifer testing report completed in 1972-73 by Keck Consulting Services, the District begins to buy land northeast of Yutan in 1975. 1989 September 7: Directors approve HDR Engineering Inc. proposal for preliminary studies and pre-design report to verify the Yutan site as the best location. 1991 M.U.D. abandons the idea of building the water plant and wellfield northeast of Yutan because the site near the junction of Douglas and Saunders Counties offered a more productive aquifer with higher water quality. 1992 M.U.D. begins to buy land for the wellfield. We have a total of 2,230 acres for the wellfield with 1,040 acres in Douglas County and 1,190 acres in Saunders County. The District sold previously purchased land northeast of Yutan. 1993 April 16: M.U.D. receives HDR Engineering Inc. pre-design report. HDR Engineering Inc. found a well field location which straddled the Platte River, west of Omaha. This design would require dredging a channel across the river and obtaining a Section 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 1994-1995 November 1994-January 1995: Pre-project consultation meetings attended by federal, state and local agencies. We begin talking with the Corps of Engineers about getting the required Section 404 Permit. 1995 April 21: M.U.D. Board of Directors approves Burns & McDonnell Engineering, Kansas City, MO, proposal to prepare Part I, Scoping and Surveys for Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). May 17: Notice-of-Intent to prepare environmental impact statement and notice of public scoping meeting is published in the Federal Register. June 1: Corps of Engineers conducts public scoping meeting. November 1: Directors approve Burns and McDonnell proposal to prepare the draft and final EIS. 1996-1999 February 1996-February 1999: Informal consultation period with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission over threatened and endangered species impacts. U.S. Fish and Wildlife releases a non-jeopardy opinion in February 1999, contingent upon mitigation fulfillment. February 1996-December 1998: Consultation continues with Corps of Engineers and other agencies about methodology of predicting impacts to wetlands, and development of proposed conceptual wetlands mitigation plan. 1998 The District receives the water right and permit from the State of Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. 1999 January 20: M.U.D. submits formal Section 404 Permit Application. January 26: Draft EIS and Notice of Section 404 Permit Application is released. Public comment period open until March 26, 1999. March 2: Corps of Engineers conducts public meeting/hearing for Draft EIS presentation and 404(b)(1) evaluation comments. May-December: Corps of Engineers decides to produce a Revised Draft EIS. 2001 March 2: Revised draft EIS is published and released to the public. Public comment period open until April 13, 2001. March 21: Corps of Engineers conducts second public meeting to present Revised Draft EIS. August 4-14: M.U.D. issues first water alert with consumption at 200 million gallons on August 1. November 16: Preliminary Final EIS is sent to cooperating agencies for review and comment. 2002 April 15: The final EIS is published and released for public and agency comments. May 31: Public comment period for submission of comments on Final EIS closes. June 29-August 18: M.U.D. issues water alert with consumption at 202 million gallons per day on June 26. 2003 May 16: Corps of Engineers issues Section 404 Permit. May 30: Directors approve HDR Engineering Inc. proposal to provide design services. July: M.U.D. buys 158 acres of land for the water treatment plant at 216th and Q Sts. July 26-September 15: M.U.D. issues water alert with pumpage at 205 million gallons per day on July 26. 2004 January 7: Directors approve contract with Sargent Drilling Inc. to build production wells in wellfield. March 3: Directors approve contract with Swanson, Gentleman, Hart Inc. and Mero Structures to provide aluminum roof framing system for the Platte West Plant. March 3: Directors approve contract with Anderson Excavating (M&S Grading) for preparation of the Platte West Plant site. July 7: Directors approve HDR Engineering Inc. proposal to provide construction period services for the wellfield and transmission main construction activities. September 1: Directors approve contract with B&L Construction Co. to install finished water main from treatment plant to Skyline Reservoir. November 3: Directors approve procurement contracts with six firms to provide various equipment for the Platte West Project. The firms and equipment:
December 1: Directors approve contract with S.J. Louis Construction Inc. to install wellfield piping, roads and electrical distribution duct banks. Board also approves contract with Garney Cos. to install Platte River Crossing and connector piping. 2005 April 6: Directors approve contract with Garney Cos. to install raw water main and backwash drain line. May 4: Directors approve contract with Kleinfelder to provide materials testing and special inspection services for the Platte West Project. The Board also approves a contract with Graham Penn-Co Construction Inc. to install wellhead pumps and bases, valve vaults, piping and electrical systems. June 1: Directors approve contract with Alberici Constructors Inc. to build the Platte West Water Treatment Plant. June 18: Michels Construction, a subcontractor to Garney Cos., completes directional drilling on first of two 48-inch diameter pipelines under Platte River. June 28: Contract with Alberici Constructors is executed by President Tom Wurtz. June 30: Formal Notice-to-Proceed provided to Alberici Constructors to start work on construction of the Platte West Water Treatment Plant. July 14: Michels Construction, a subcontractor to Garney Cos., completes directional drilling of second 48-inch diameter pipeline under Platte River. July: Alberici Constructors begins work at plant site including installation of job trailers, final excavation work, and underdrain installation for main building, reservoir and pump station. August 16: The 54-inch finished water main between the Platte West Plant site and Hwy 92, installed by B&L Construction, was placed in service by M.U.D. Water Distribution crews. The main will provide water to plant site during construction, and ultimately will serve as transfer main from the water plant to Skyline Reservoir. September: Garney Cos. begins to install the 72-inch raw main to connect the wellfield to the Platte West Water Treatment Plant. Alberici Constructors place the first concrete pour for the water plant. Work continues through December with local contractors -- Commonwealth Electric, Coreslab Structures, Daedalus Construction, Eriksen Construction, Judds Bros. Construction, Mecco-Henne Contracting, Midwest Mechanical, Negus-Sons Inc., Rebar Setters and The Weitz Co. Local area general and subcontractors include: Graham Penn-Co., Grunwald Mechanical, Camden Excavating and Watts Electric. 2006 January: Annual groundwater monitoring and construction reports submitted to Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. February 8: Sale of $100 million in bonds. March: Alberici Constructors and subcontractors reach 25 percent complete milestone. March: Annual wetlands and bathymetric monitoring reports approved by Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. April: Construction of the Backwater Habitat Project at Schilling Wildlife Management Area, funded by M.U.D. and administered by Nebraska Game & Park Commission in accordance with T&E Species Agreement, is awarded to Anderson Excavating Company. Work starts in April 2006 and is expected to be operational by spring 2007. May: Supplemental Report to the Phase II Groundwater Modeling Study is submitted to Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. May: Directors accept as final the Platte River Crossing and Connector Piping contract with Garney Construction. August: Garney Construction initiates work on the 72-inch diameter raw water main crossing of the Elkhorn River. September: Directors accept as final the early earthwork contract for site grading with Anderson Excavating. September 27: Sale of $96 million in bonds. September: Alberici Constructors and subcontractors reach 50-percent complete milestone. December: As of the end of 2006, the Douglas County Wellfield is complete with final inspection remaining. Work continues in the Saunders County Wellfield. Wellfield contractors and subcontractors include: Graham Penn Co Construction, S.J. Louis Construction Company, Commonwealth Electric, Grunwald Mechanical, Sargent Drilling and Watts Electric. December: As of the end of 2006, Alberici Constructors and subcontractors reach 65-percent complete milestone of the water treatment plant. In addition to Alberici Constructors, subcontractors include: Ambassador Steel/Rebar Setters, American Fence, Commonwealth Electric, Coreslab Structures, Crown Corr, Inc., Daedalus Construction, Davis Erection, Ericksen Construction, Jayhawk Erectors, Judds Bros. Construction, Mecco-Henne Contracting, Midwest Mechanical, Negus-Sons, Inc., Nelson Engineering, NewMech Companies, Sachs Electric, Seedorff Masonry Inc., Senegal Specialty Contracting and The Weitz Company. 2007 January: Annual reports as required by the Corps’ Section 404 Permit are submitted to the Corps of Engineers and other agencies. The Corps of Engineers approves the 2006 Annual Wetland and Pond Monitoring Reports. Corps of Engineers gives verbal approval to continue with design of Phase II Wetlands Mitigation Project. Burns & McDonnell completes spring inspection of Phase I Mitigation Site. Corps of Engineers approves final draft of Phase II Wetland Mitigation Plan. Additional monitoring well and data logger installation in Saunders County is completed. Work continues at water treatment plant with Alberici Constructors and subcontractors approximately 93 percent complete. A draft well field contingency plan is submitted to Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, as required by Section 404 Permit. 2008 January-March: Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality opens public comment period for water treatment plant Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality Permit application. February: Alberici and subcontractors reach 95-percent complete milestone. March: Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality holds public hearing regarding Platte West NPDES Permit. Permit issued at end of the month. April: M.U.D. submits riverbed conductivity workplan to Corps of Engineers. Workplan outlines procedures to collect hydraulic connectivity data between Platte River and aquifer. May-July: Nebraska Department of Health inspects Platte West Water Treatment Plant facilities. Issues final approval in July. June: Alberici and subcontractors reach 98-percent complete milestone. July: Pumpage from Platte West Wellfield for test purposes is initiated. Project staff and Water Operations personnel hold first Platte West water tasting. August: Riverbed conductivity tests are completed. October 15: Dedication of the plant. |
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