News Release

For Immediate Release April 25, 2016

Contact: John Winkler, General Manager

                                     Office Phone 444-6222

                                     Cell Phone 402-616-2457  

New Reservoirs and Flood Plain Mapping Show Improving Papillion Creek Flood Protection

     The   Papio-Missouri River NRD’s latest study is showing improved Papillion Creek flood protection that will offer exciting possibilities for increased public safety and economic well-being of the Greater Omaha Metro Area. The benefits of combining reservoir construction and new floodplain mapping techniques, modern modeling and other new data are numerous.

I have attached a White Paper which explains the history, current situation, process and the very possible results of future flood protection and floodplain mapping in the Greater Metro Area.  I have also attached two maps, one from Papillion and the other from Millard 144th area, which illustrate the game changing results of the reservoir/modeling process.  The area that is highlighted in pink/salmon color is the current floodplain. These floodplains have grown 100 percent of more in the last few decades.  The blue color is the floodplain after the reservoirs in the Watershed Management Plan are constructed and the new modeling process with updated data is deployed.  As you can see the results are dramatic, not only does this take citizens and structures out of harm’s way from flooding but it could potentially relieve hundreds if not thousands of citizens from paying costly flood insurance. In today’s world it isn’t unusual for a flood insurance policy on an average home to cost $5,000 a year and a business policy is astronomically higher than that.

With the recent Natural Resources Committee decision to deny State Water Sustainability Funding for the NRD’s reservoir projects WP-6 and & 7, it has become very apparent that no state funding will be available anytime in the future for vital flood control in the Greater Omaha Metro Area.  Therefore, the NRD is on its own to fund and construct much needed flood control infrastructure while the opportunity still exists.

Please review the information and if you have any questions or would like to meet to go over the information in more detail let me know.

John Winkler, Papio-Missouri River NRD General Manager

(General Manager, John Winkler, will consider a request for an exclusive Interview)