Giant Lake between Omaha/Lincoln

Proposed Development Projects that got Minarded.

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adam186
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Giant Lake between Omaha/Lincoln

Post by adam186 »

Proposal for giant lake near Mahoney resurfaces
Omaha World Herald


Quotes:
Resorts, high-tech campuses, new housing developments - even a casino boat and private airport - are envisioned dotting the 145-mile shoreline of a proposed giant lake between Omaha and Lincoln.
An idea this big - not surprisingly - emerged from the fertile mind of former Omaha Mayor Hal Daub.
In addition to inundating much of Ashland, Oltmans said, the project would carry a $2 billion price tag, force the relocation fiber optic and gas lines, threaten species and halt the movement of sand down stream.

"I don't think it would happen," Oltmans said.
End on the best quote:
"If you start with the premise of but, but, but," Daub said, "we wouldn't have built the Qwest Center, redeveloped downtown or built Lake Cunningham and the other lakes."
Last edited by adam186 on Fri Jan 20, 2006 6:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by icejammer »

Is this the Platte River Dam that was first floated about 35-40 years ago?
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Post by adam186 »

icejammer wrote:Is this the Platte River Dam that was first floated about 35-40 years ago?
Yep, that's the one! I forgot to include that sorry. It will also be 1 mile away from I-80 and they are spending $3 million to study the enviromental impacts this would have on the enviroment.
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Post by icejammer »

$3 mil for something that doesn't have a snowball's chance in heck? Daub may be connected in DC, but he isn't that connected....
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Post by adam186 »

icejammer wrote:$3 mil for something that doesn't have a snowball's chance in heck? Daub may be connected in DC, but he isn't that connected....
Let's just hope the forumers complaining about the bridge finances on the other thread don't come in here and do the same. :lol: As far as Daub goes and this project.......I don't know, but it's not likely. For 1) it would cover up most of Ashland, and 2) as mentioned in the article, they would probably have to relocate all their utilities including sewers, electrical lines, gas lines, fiber-optic cables, etc away from the lake.$$$$$
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Swift
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Post by Swift »

145 mile shoreline! Holy |expletive|!

I'm sort of torn on this.
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Post by Big E »

Hey, as long as I'm not paying to build a lake in Iowa, I'm OK. ;)

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Post by MTO »

I could take it or leave it, but I give it a snowballz chance in heck to even happen.
Last edited by MTO on Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Does anyone have a map?
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Post by the1wags »

I think a lake that size would be sweet, and Omaha and Lincoln would boom towards each other like no other, but I also think I have a better shot at winning the powerball than this lake happening. Too big an environmental impact Im guessing, not to mention funding.
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Post by Raraavis »

It would be fantastic. One of us may need to be elected Governor for this to happen.
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Post by eomaha »

$2 Biiillliiiooon? I think we may need the Presidency for this one.

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Post by papiostud »

I think they could scale it down some. It's freakin massive! Almost leaves no room for growth...maybe this will lead to less 'sprawl'? Or just the opposite.

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Post by papiostud »

Whatever happened to that proposal a few months ago w/ the amusement park, the upscale shopping, ect in this area? It seemed pretty much dead from the start. There was even a website for it.
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Post by jcitta »

I think this would be freaking great for Nebraska and especially Omaha. Look at Lake of the Ozarks in MO. There is so much development and money in that place it is nuts. Lots of big condos and hotels and all that stuff. This could draw a lot of people to the area for tourism and more people would move from out of state to live at places like this.....there is pretty much no more room for new houses on Lake of the Ozarks because it is all developed. I know it wont pass.....but just the economical impact for this area of NE would be good.
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Post by icejammer »

OK, found the document I was looking for at the library over lunch that I had seen on this before from the 1960s. This current proposal is very similar to that proposed back then, except back then there would have been an embankment built to keep Ashland from being flooded and the previous plan included no hydropower. Some of the particulars:

Dam height - 100 feet
Length - 6500 feet (plus another 22000+ ft to keep Ashland dry)
Maximum depth - 70 feet
Average depth - 33 feet
Gates - 10 gates, 50 ft high by 40 ft wide
Land required - 126,000 acres
Cost (1969 dollars) - $490,000,000 ($2 billion now might be too low, as this plan didn't include a hydroelectric plant)
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Brad
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Post by Brad »

In the article it says that Ashland thinks it would be doom for its city.

Can you imagine if you were a FOWARD thinking person and you were the mayor of Ashland. You were going to get to design a BRAND NEW FRICKIN CITY :lol: . You design a "destination" town square that is TOTALLY geared towards tourism. You have a whole Lake front destination with shops, resterauants, bars and other attractions, instead of the death of your city, it would be the beginning of somthing new, somthing AWSOME!

I really want this lake, but I know better than to get my hopes up.
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Post by HskrFanMike »

You also see everything that your town ever had flooded and gone. Some people have an emotional attachment to their home; something that would never return. Could it be better? Possibly? Could it be worse? Possibly? Would it be the same? Never.

I'm not saying this project is a good idea or a bad idea. (It is an expensive one.) But don't dismiss the concerns of Ashland...
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Post by Brad »

Not that it would be the same, but you can move historic buildings. Move some of the historic structures and then look to the future!
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Post by Big E »

Imagine how much fun it would be to go scuba diving in the buildings in Jobber's Canyon! I'd flood ConAgra in a heartbeat for that!

;)

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Post by zedmib »

:D I gotta get to the UNO library and make copies of that 1970 International Airport plan. A lake like this was included in that plan. Also a "new city" was planned on the south end of the lake straddling the Platte River.
Nice idea, but if we can't keep "Big Mac" filled upstream how do they expect to fill this lake and run a hydro plant?
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Post by Brad »

There is water in that part of the plat all year long. The Big Mac is on the north Plat River. This lake would be feed by all types of Rivers and Streams. The Plat (North and South), Elkhorn Ect.......
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Post by Zephyr »

Something I just realized, after looking at that map, Highway 6 would have to be totally rerouted, or just torn out. I noticed the BNSF tracks were shown rerouted, that would cost buckoo bucks! That proposed Amtrak station is interesting - not sure you would need a stop there, but a commuter rail station definitely.
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Post by Swift »

One the one hand, it'd be cool that all of these towns would suddenly be "on the lake" and could become "fishing towns." Their property value would sure go up.

On the otherhand...that's a pretty massive change.
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Post by guy4omaha »

Don't know where to start with this. I think it presently has a less than 50% chance. But with Mr. Daub behind it its probability goes up at least 30 percentage points. You don't have to like him or like his politics. But the man has a "can-do" attitude the size of this lake.

If Nebraska could find some way to be bold enough to say let's make this happen, it would be the one single event in Omaha and Lincoln's history that grows the two metroplexes into one and to a much higher level. And with that higher national and international recognition. With this development all economic development things become possible. (Not all at once, but this project becomes a springboard to which so much over time would be attributable.

My imagination or knowledge can't do such a list justice but a few, just a few that come immediately to mind:

Light rail - heck we could do monorail
Amtrak
Prairie version of silicon Valley
Corporate Headquarter Transfers to this area
Sprawl and urban redevelopment/infill
Tourism on a scale never before seen in this area
Summer homes for the rich and famous
Major International Airport Serving both cities
Pro Franchises
Amusement Parks
Things and technologies we can't even dream of today

The possibilities are only limited by our imagination.

One point that may be easy to overlook upon first glance is the impact this lake has on water supply. It was mentioned in the OWH articles that this lake would support the wellfields that are absolutely critical, not only to Omaha/Lincoln growth, but to the area's ability to permanently support the 1.1 million population already here.

It is easy to understand and feel empathy toward the City of Ashland. This is a tremendously difficult amount of change and a deeply personal change to accept. BUT.... if the people of Ashland can find a way to embrace this change, it will transform their newly relocated city. A huge cost yes, but a once in a lifetime of a civilization opportunity. Ashland could become far more than a fishing lake community if it chooses. Far more.

While I feel this is a very long, long shot, I am encouraged that the cities of Greenfield, Gretna and Waverly see the benefit and are not opposing this project at least initially. Developing this now in the 21st century with an eye to the future means that the project has so much more potential for economic development than if it had been implemented 50 years ago. There are very real and growing water supply issues this lake addresses. I don't know but this lake may be the only way to address our water supply issues. Also, can there be anything negative about hydroelectric power? :roll: Someone will be enlightening me, that is for sure, if they point out the negatives to this. Let's burn less coal. Omaha and Lincoln are growing together, there is absolutely no doubt about it in my head. This brings the two together yet the lakes allows them to stay separate. Think of the skylines both cities could have. (Of course Omaha's would be larger and so much more impressive 8))

I could just go on and on but chances are I would just ramble on even more into chaos. I am skeptical. But this project captures my imagination more than anything in my lifetime. Let's just try to make it happen. In 1960 or 1961 when Kennedy said we would go to the moon before the end of the decade who could really believe or see how it would happen. But as a nation we set our mind up to do it. And we did it.

For eastern Nebraska this is an opportunity to change our world. It could put us on a whole different growth trajectory. I believe it would with almost certainty.

Trying to keep my feet in reality but having a difficult time as I ponder the possibilities. I am pumped. Only thing that stands in the way is our self-imposed limitations. It was certainly realistic in the early sixties to note that most of our rockets were still falling over on the launch pads let alone flying let alone flying to the moon. It certainly was realistic to note that the expense was huge. It was certainly realistic to question what payoff would come from a moon mission. We certainly could rationally argue there were a whole litany of higher priorities to fund with the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, etc. But we just chose to go to the Moon by heck or high water. And we did. In fact in hindsight, we almost made it look easy.

To me at least, the payoff from this lake project is much more apparent than that of the Apollo project.

Let's just find a way to do it. Man, the things my grandkids will see. (No I am not old enough to have them yet. Well, technically yes, but we chose to get married first and so far our kids are making the same choice. :wink: )

Gotta stop now before I think of something else to ramble on about this project. Do you think anyone reads to the bottom of such a long post when you get carried away like this? BTW, for future reference, when I start a post with the words "I don't know where to begin", watch out. Chances are I won't know where to end either.
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Post by omaja »

Not so fast... Ashland's mayor is already opposing the idea without even hearing the specifics about it. :( What a shame.

And U.S. 6 wouldn't really be a problem... it could just be routed onto I-80 from the Highway 31 interchange to either Greenwood or Waverly where it could continue on its current path.
Last edited by omaja on Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by OmahaJaysCU »

Okay everybody, I have a nice little theory/possible connection idea for all of you... and we begin.

Lets think back to the days of the amusement park announcement, Port Nebraska. Remember how the developers created all these sketches of what a park might look like? Anyone remember the picture with the pier and sailboats? Could it be possible that the developers of this park could have been working in conjunction with the compnay that did the study for this lake? Also remember how the official site of the park was never really announced. Sure, they said it was near Mahoney along the PLatte and I-80, but never did they mention a specific site. Could it be possible that they weren't sure if this lake would go through or not? Call me crazy, but this connection is seeming a bit odd to me, but its not a bad thing at all...
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Post by eomaha »

I feel for the people of Ashland... whether this dam gets built or not... consider what has been done with this news. Who is going to want to move to/build a home/business anywhere near Ashland? ... with the prospects of it being put under this lake. I have a colleague who is from Ashland and sort of ribbed me about the prospects of OPS taking of Millard (which I'm actually rather neutral too). Talk about an 'annexation' ! How many people do you suppose will put their house on the market in the near future to get out? And the funny thing is, let's be realistic here... this project probably won't happen... at least not for a very long time. Now if you're a speculator, and want to gamble it's not going to happen... this might be a good time to get in there and make your offer. :)
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Post by nebport5 »

of all the towns to unedate(sp?) with water, I have to say I've always though Ashland was pretty nice. I'm not sure why you couldn't build the lake around Ashland without wiping it out. It must be a topography elevation thing.
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Post by adam186 »

Ashland vows to fight lake idea

BY JOHN FERAK
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=163 ... nd=6456017

Here it goes :roll: :
A defiant Mayor Ronna Wiig vowed Friday to defeat plans for a $3 million study that could pave the way for a giant resort lake between Omaha and Lincoln.
Lemoyne was moved to make way for Lake McConaughy, and Republican City was moved to higher ground for the Harlan County Reservoir. The village of Niobrara was the most recent when it was moved in 1976 for Lewis and Clark Lake.

On Friday, Wiig visited with about 15 downtown merchants to make them aware of a plan floated by State Sen. Pam Brown of Omaha to submerge Ashland and move the existing city about eight miles, near Memphis, and call it "West Ashland."
What? OWH got it wrong again, suprise. West Ashland is proposed and the relocated Ashland is going to be directly east of that on the other side of the lake as seen on the map.
"This whole concept is a black eye for Ashland," Wiig said. "We have people with houses for sale. We want to keep our existing downtown businesses full, and there's not enough information out there. We're talking about a pipe dream that affects a heck of a lot of people."
They want to keep their downtown businesses full? Think how much more full and bigger it would be if the lake was built. A lot of people? How many people live their? I'm not saying they're not important or anything, but isn't it under 1,000?
Conceivably, he said, the project could turn into a major recreation and tourism boon for Nebraska, but not if Ashland has no voice in the process.
Wow, and they say Omaha and Lincoln are selfish for proposing this. That comment just boggles me. And look at this part of the sentence, "but not if Ashland has no voice in the process", it's not even in proper sentence form :lol: .
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Post by almighty_tuna »

adam186 wrote:And look at this part of the sentence, "but not if Ashland has no voice in the process", it's not even in proper sentence form :lol: .
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(I've been waiting to use this one! :) )
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Post by almighty_tuna »

This resort lake idea is getting so inconceivably out of control and its only been in the paper for a couple days! Every town deserves some consideration for their argument - unlike Elkhorn, Ashland residents could not reasonably expect this sort of "growth" - and they have a valid gripe about having their town submerged. But the Ashland mayor should step back and view this just as an idea, not a personal attack on the city. There are many rewards to reap if this happens, albeit at a high cost, and not just monetarily. No doubt this is a shock to the system. Why, just 6 months ago we were discussing economic agreements between La Vista, Gretna, Ashland and other towns along I-80 so they could take advantage of the impending sprawl between Lincoln & Omaha. This would take away many of those conventional options and replace them with a revolutionary set of challenges. For my $.02, if I was the mayor I'd see what the study had to say before going zero tolerance. Even if the right answer is not to build this dam, someone's only asking "can it be done?". Chill out!
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Post by Swift »

someone should pass out some information to the residents of ashland regarding how much money they would stand to make from the increase in their property values.
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Post by DTO Luv »

I haven't read a bunch of posts or read the article, but from the looks of it, I'm all for it. It would be another recreational opportunity for the metro. Look at what the lakes have done for Minneapolis.
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Post by Harpoon »

Of course lakes have been important to Minneapolis, but this is nothing like that. Those lakes were naturally formed during glaciation, they are called "ice block lakes" because huge chunks of ice were buried in the ground and when they melted it created the lakes. This proposed lake is a crock, and no, there isn't water in the Platte year round. Every summer you can walk across this part of the Platte without getting your feet wet, you just have to jump from sandbar to sandbar while avoiding the 1/2" of water that is trickling by. The main reason this won't get built is environmental.

Ashland already has a nice downtown, so building a "new" town is pointless when there is all this history that exists there already. The only portion of the existing town saved would be the Ironhorse subdivision, which has no houses with architectural significance anyways (besides the hisoric Beetison house that was recently a meth lab that is). Greenwood would make more sense to flood, since there isn't much there in the first place. The Platte already is a nice natural amenity and there are plentiful parks and recreational areas along its course to take advantage of it. Let me save Pam Brown and the State $3 Million and just call it a ridiculous idea. The only people building dams these days are the Chinese, and they don't care about the environmental impacts. They might as well dam up the Missouri around Bellevue and flood Omaha, that is about as preposterous of an idea as this lake would be.
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Post by adam186 »

Harpoon wrote:The only people building dams these days are the Chinese, and they don't care about the environmental impacts.
That is why they are spending $3 million dollars to study the impact on the enviroment. If it would be negative, then it won't get build. It's that simple.
They might as well dam up the Missouri around Bellevue and flood Omaha, that is about as preposterous of an idea as this lake would be.
Wow, that is a pretty bad analogy. I don't even want to get into arguing that because it would be to time consuming. I'm sure most on this forum would strongly disagree that comment.

How much HISTORY does Ashland really have, sure 150 years, but of what? This would add to their history I think. Maybe make more interesting too.
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Post by guy4omaha »

adam186 wrote:
Harpoon wrote:They might as well dam up the Missouri around Bellevue and flood Omaha, that is about as preposterous of an idea as this lake would be.
Wow, that is a pretty bad analogy. I don't even want to get into arguing that because it would be to time consuming. I'm sure most on this forum would strongly disagree that comment.
Yeah, there really is no way to respond to such a statement. Harpoon, why are you getting so emotional? Ashland and Omaha/CB the same? Greenwood has nothing while Ashland is too big of an environmental impact." Are you from Ashland or something. If so, I understand this is emotional but this is an idea forum right?
How much HISTORY does Ashland really have, sure 150 years, but of what? This would add to their history I think. Maybe make more interesting too.

It would make for interesting history. 25 years from now not to mention 50 and 100 years from now, a really prosperous and dynamic relocated Ashland would look back at this as the change that really got things for Ashland and east central Nebraska rolling. One step back, 250 forward.
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Post by HskrFanMike »

Swift wrote:someone should pass out some information to the residents of ashland regarding how much money they would stand to make from the increase in their property values.
:shock: :shock: :shock: How much is underwater property worth these days??? :shock: :shock: :shock:

The other towns are all in favor of it because their property becomes lakefront property. But Ashland loses their property.
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Post by adam186 »

HskrFanMike wrote:The other towns are all in favor of it because their property becomes lakefront property. But Ashland loses their property.
Ashland gets RELOCATED so they don't lose their property. I'm sure the property they have now will be bought for far more than it is worth (financially).
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Post by Swift »

HskrFanMike wrote:
Swift wrote:someone should pass out some information to the residents of ashland regarding how much money they would stand to make from the increase in their property values.
:shock: :shock: :shock: How much is underwater property worth these days??? :shock: :shock: :shock:

The other towns are all in favor of it because their property becomes lakefront property. But Ashland loses their property.
They will (most certainly) be compensated to move their homes out of the lake's way. They would have to rebuild their homes and everything, but I'm sure monetarily they would come out ahead.
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