Small Fish in a Big Lake

esidents and community leaders in the small town of Ashland were taken by surprise last week after hearing about plans to create an 80-square-mile lake right on top of them.

State Senator Pam Brown has proposed a plan for a $3 million study to see if developing a lake along the I-80 corridor between Omaha and Lincoln would be feasible. She announced her sponsorship of a bill to do the study at a Nebraska Innovation Zone Commission meeting in which Ashland Mayor Ronna Wiig attended.

The plan calls for building a hydroelectric dam on the Platte River a few miles east of Ashland. A map produced by Brown shows the entire town of Ashland along with U.S. Highway 6, Camp


	This map, developed by Omaha City Planner James Krance, shows 145 miles of shoreline with resorts and lakeside housing developments along with marinas capable of holding several thousand boats. Click on the map to see a larger image.

Ashland, Linoma Beach and Lincoln's water treatment plant completely under water. Ashland would need to be relocated about eight miles west and would loose all of their historic downtown buildings.

This, of course, is not sitting well with most of the community. Hundreds of properties would need to be acquired and lawsuits would surely be somewhere on the horizon.

Relocating entire towns for recreational purposes is not new in the state of Nebraska, however. The city of Lemoyne was moved to create Lake McConaughy and Republican City had to be relocated when the Harlan County Reservoir was built. Also moved was the village of Niobrara to make way for Lewis and Clark Lake.

The benefits of building the lake would seem to out-weigh any objections. It would mean a great boost to the tourism industry in eastern Nebraska.

Several proposals to dam the Platte and build Lake Nebraska have popped up over the years including one supported by former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub in 1999. All of them seemed to quickly disappear. The hope now is that Legislative Bill 1121 to fund the lake study will make it to the forefront.

This latest effort does not come without many obstacles, including meeting the requirements of the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Numerous federal agencies would need to be involved in order to acquire federal permits and funding. Builders of the lake would also need to obtain surface water rights to any water impounded. The process could be very lengthy.

It takes time to generate approval for a hydroelectric dam. Consider the following:

FEDERAL

• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license is needed, a process that can take a
decade or more.

• U.S. Departments of Interior and Agriculture have some say.

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must assess any possible negative impact on wildlife
   habitat.

• The Endangered Species Act demands a thorough assessment. Should it result in the
discovery of something unique to the area, provisions must be made to protect that
unique or endangered species.

• Dam Safety Act requirements must be satisfied.

• The Clean Water Act provisions have to be met. These could be an obstacle, because
   the lake could hold back sand and silt that now are carried along the Platte River to
   the Missouri River and on to the Gulf of Mexico.

STATE & LOCAL

• Legislative approval and the governors signature would be needed for a proposed
$3 million study of the project.

• A new public authority would be needed as sponsor. The project is too large for the
Papio-Missouri River NRD or the Lower Platte South NRD.

• An environmental impact statement by the state and five affected counties must be
completed. These can take years and cost millions.

• Public hearings are required for landowners, environmental groups, Indian tribes and
others to comment.

• The project sponsor would negotiate with landowners for sale of needed property.

• If a license is granted by FERC, land can be acquired through eminent domain, with
courts setting the price.

Sources: Bryan Lee, spokesman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; Steve Oltmans, general manager, Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District.

Another issue that would need to be dealt with is the water supply to both Omaha and Lincoln. One-third of the water supply to Omaha and all of the water supply to Lincoln could be affected by flooded well fields. There would be enormous costs involved to reconnect those water supplies.

Addressing these issues are the reasons behind the $3 million study. The bottom-line is would the benefits of economic growth and expanded recreational opportunities out-weigh the negative aspects of building the lake.