Omaha Tribe Opens $8.5M Water Treatment Plant, Quadrupling Capacity
The Omaha Tribe of Nebraska has opened the Umóⁿhoⁿ Ní Waxúbe — Omaha Sacred Water Treatment Facility, Ní Ti, a $8.5 million plant that quadruples water treatment capacity. According to Jerry Henscheid, utility director for the Omaha Tribal Utility Authority, the facility became operational on October 6th on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska.
The new plant replaces a facility built in 1980 that had served the tribe for over four decades with limited storage and a failing filtration system. The Indian Health Service funded $6 million of the project, while the Environmental Protection Agency contributed $2.5 million.
Henscheid explains the need for the replacement:
“Our old plant was built in 1980, so it’s 46 years old, and the filter in that old plant was basically shot. About 15 years ago, we decided we eventually were going to need a new plant, new filter.”
After testing various filtration systems, the tribe partnered with the Indian Health Service to identify the best solution for their local conditions. The project went out for bid nearly five years ago, with construction beginning three years ago. Despite estimates suggesting a cost of around $12 million today, the tribe completed the project within the original budget. The Native-owned contractor, Walga, was chosen for the project.
The new water treatment facility includes a 300,000-gallon treated-water storage tank, significantly increasing the tribe's water storage capacity and ensuring a four-day supply, up from a previous one-day supply.
This achievement follows years of utility improvements mandated by a 2014 consent decree that required the tribe to enhance its water system or face shutdown. The Omaha Tribal Utilities have replaced meters, repaired distribution lines, and rehabilitated the water tower, demonstrating their readiness for this major capital project.
“Because we made so much good progress in the last 10 years, I think that’s one reason we got funded,” Henscheid noted.