'15-acre lake, 65-acre park': New dam near Gretna to help with future flooding, growing community
FEMA and the Papillion Natural Resource District is teaming up to create a natural resource the public can also use while preparing for future floods within the state.
In 2019, uncontrollable flooding took over parts of Nebraska, sending farm land, houses and roads under water. "It's really unprecedented at this point, the severity of disasters and flooding that we're seeing," said Andrea Spillars, regional administrator with FEMA. Years later, recovery is still happening, in partnership with FEMA, the Papillion Natural Resources District is building a basin near Gretna.
‘Different reservoirs like this to be able to absorb that water when we see a lot of it," said Gov. Pete Ricketts. It's all through a federally funded $12 million grant. "FEMA is investing in mitigation activities through the Building Resilient Infrastructure Communities Grant program otherwise known as BRIC," said Spillars. Spillars said it lessens the impact on flood-prone areas of the state like Sarpy, Washington and Douglas County. "Help control the runoff from a 500-year flood plan. So yes, that creates the opportunity for that runoff to go into a basin, it's controlled through a dam," she said.
Construction is set for the end of the year, taking close to two years for the new addition to 204th and Schram Roads.
