PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) – The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District says sandy soil is preventing the flood control reservoir from retaining water and they are actively working to fix the issue.
- Portal Lake in Papillion is currently bone dry
- Officials discovered that sandy soil is causing the reservoir's water to drain
- The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District is actively working to fix the issue so the lake can hold water permanently
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District told KMTV it has identified the issue. General Manager John Winkler says sandy soil that was not identified before the reservoir was built is causing the water to drain.
Winkler says Portal Lake is a flood control reservoir, and the dam is working exactly as it is supposed to. However, the sandy soil is preventing the lake from holding water for recreational use.
"As far as flood control is doing exactly what's it's intended to do, this is the recreation part of it, we want the permanent pool to be there for the fisheries, and the look of it and the public's enjoyment of the lake," Winkler said.
Winkler says this has not happened to another reservoir. He says it took a while to find the issue because of a dry spell over a few years, leading them to believe the area just was not getting enough rain. When the lake filled last year and then drained, they knew something was wrong.
The district is actively taking steps to correct the issue.
The dry lake bed is noticeable to people who visit the area. La Vista neighbor Jerry Shank walks his dogs around the Portal Recreation Area 7 days a week.
"Last summer we got those big rains early and it filled up, it was full, you could launch boats off here, but now it's gone it's very dry," Shank said.
Once the issue is fixed, the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District hopes for a lot of rain so the lake can fill up and become a permanent pool of water.
"It would be nice, that's what a lake is supposed to have is water," Shank said.
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