DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLAN UPDATE June 4, 2025
Stage 3 Drought Contingency Protocol is still in place. Non-essential water usage is necessary until the area receives enough rainfall to recharge our water sources.
The Board of Public Works has maintained a full reservoir of 22’ despite the challenges presented. The long-term search for additional water sources is never ending. While this has been stable, if usage rises, it may be difficult to maintain. A drop in the reservoir requires implementation of an emergency plan which includes trucking water into our system. This could affect rates if needed on a long-term basis.
Currently a plan is being developed to treat water from Longs Creek for a short-term solution. The project will provide a temporary treatment facility approved by the State of Nebraska and will meet requirements to maintain public health quality and quantity. In the event of an emergency Nemaha County Emergency Management is ready to provide drinking water as needed.
The Board along with O’Neill Excavating from the Topeka, Kansas area is providing non-potable water tanks for the community. The water is available for gardens and potted plants and is not for human consumption. The tanks are located at the City Storage Building on 6th and N Street. BPW would like to thank O’Neill Excavating for their generous time and resources in providing this valuable resource to our community. The water from O’Neill Excavating is from a bulk water source in Kansas and the BPW tanks are from Long’s Creek which is a spring fed creek located outside of the alluvial wellfield.
We appreciate all our customers and work hard to ensure that water is safe and available. We continue to provide data with daily readings on the number of gallons pumped, pumping times, and reservoir levels. This will keep the public informed of current conditions. See the City of Auburn website at https://auburn.ne.gov for updates. If you have questions about the status of any of our activities, please contact the BPW and we are happy to provide you with statistics of rainfall, well levels and daily monitoring of the water pumped. All systems are actively monitored, and data is kept on file permanently. The reservoir holds 1.5 million gallons of water and has not dropped below the normal levels and is currently stable. This is due to the implementation of the plan and the collaboration of the members of the Auburn and Peru communities’ reduction in use. We appreciate all efforts for conserving usage until levels return to normal.
Alan Slater
Water/Wastewater Manager
Daily Water Readings: June 4, 2025
