NEBRASKA CITY – Jeff Reese of Consolidated Rural Water Districts 1 and 2 in Otoe County expects the water board to pass a moratorium  on new water hookups.

Reese told Otoe County commissioners Tuesday there is not enough capacity in the distribution system for any new customers in a district that covers rural areas in the eastern third of the county.

County Commissioner Chuck Cole said the moratorium means new homes will have to get water from wells only. Water board member Gary Sasse warned that finding water for a well is not a certainty and groundwater that is found may not be drinkable.

Jeff Reese says distribution system is undersized and leaking up to 40 percent

Much of the distribution system is 50 years old and Reese said it was not originally designed for a lot of expansion. The consolidated district has grown from 400 to 700 users and has been growing at a rate of about 25 new hookups per year. Nebraska City Utilities can provide more water, but the distribution system is not large enough to carry it fast enough. It could cost up to $1 million per mile to upgrade a water line.

Reese said the water district’s priorities now are fixing leaks and replacing leak-prone segments of the distribution system. The water district is reporting a water loss of 40 percent.

Reese: “It’s not uncommon for a system with glued pipe to have that kind of slippage… The loss issue, with the amount of miles of pipe we have, this deal with take a long time.”

Zoning Administrator Dave Schmitz said water is a development obstacle.

 Zoning administrator Dave Schmitz says three test wells drilled south of Nebraska City were all dry

Schmitz: “One and Two (rural water districts) are just not going to be a developable area for rural water, I mean in the foreseeable future.”

Cole said there is a chance that the Lancaster County water pipeline from the Missouri River basin to Lincoln could provide water for Rural Water District 3, which includes the western portion of Otoe County.

Cole: “I’m willing to work with you like I said, I’ll reach out to our elected officials and let them know we’ve got an issue, especially once you guys pass your moratorium that you’re going to shut it off. Because we need to sustain growth in Otoe County. That’s probably the number one thing that is going to put us behind, if we don’t have water.”