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The Sand Creek Environmental Restoration Project is a multifaceted project that will provide environmental restoration, flood control, and recreation benefits for the Sand Creek Watershed area in Saunders County. Lake Wanahoo, the keystone of the project, takes its name from Wanahoo Park, a popular recreation area that operated in the Wahoo area through the mid-1960s.
History
The Lake Wanahoo/Sand Creek Project began in the early '90s as an effort to control severe flood problems on Sand and Wahoo creeks. Efforts to find solutions for the flood problems date back to at least the mid-1960s, and numerous reports and studies since then have confirmed the need for flood control in the area. However, little progress was made until 1993, when Wahoo, Saunders County, and the Lower Platte North NRD began seriously investigating the possibility of constructing a large reservoir just north of Wahoo.
Preliminary studies in 1994 and 1995 indicated that the idea held promise, and in 1996 the project partners commissioned a more detailed feasibility study. That study, completed in June 1997, reaffirmed the merits of the plan and recommended that the project go forward.
As the project progressed, it evolved into a broader-based watershed project focused on environmental restoration, with flood control and recreation as added benefits.
Current Project Plans
Lake Wanahoo will be built one mile north of Wahoo, on the west side of Highway 109. The dam will be built as part of the proposed Highway 77 bypass, which will skirt the west and north sides of Wahoo. The four-lane bypass will run across the front face of the dam directly west of the Highway 92 junction, which will remain at its current location.
The dam will create a 637-surface-acre lake, approximately seven times as large as nearby Czechland Lake at Prague. The lake will be situated on 1,600 acres of land, and will be open to the public for fishing, hunting, camping, picnicking, day use, and no-wake boating.
Seven smaller dams will be built upstream on Sand and Duck Creeks, along with large wetlands at the north end of Lake Wanahoo. These measures will help trap sediment and nutrients before they reach the lake, preserving the water quality, creating wetlands, and extending the life of the lake. Funding for these projects is being provided by the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
Environmental Benefits
Environmental restoration is the primary benefit of the Sand Creek Project. A large wetlands area at the north end of Lake Wanahoo, along with wetland areas around the seven upstream structures, will help mitigate wetland losses that have occurred in the Todd Valley over the years. The project will also create new wildlife habitat, restore native grassland and hardwood forest areas, and improve water quality in the watershed. See a listing of the complete environmental benefits of the project here.
Other Benefits
Flood control is another benefit of the Lake Wanahoo/Sand Creek Project. The project should reduce flood damages in the Wahoo Creek watershed by at least 23 percent and help protect Wahoo, Ithaca, Ashland and surrounding areas. Estimated annual savings from this flood protection are approximately $250,000.
Recreation is also a benefit of Lake Wanahoo. The lake will help meet some of the steadily-growing demand for outdoor recreation in eastern Nebraska. To maximize the lake's recreational benefits, the project partners plan to work closely with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Numerous habitat structures and shoreline protection features will be designed into the lake to provide a high-quality fishery. A wildlife management area is planned for the northeast side of the lake, which may be open for upland game and waterfowl hunting in season. Elsewhere, there will be sites for both RV and primitive camping, and a day use area will be developed with picnic shelters, volleyball courts, hiking/biking trails, and more. The Commission is also investigating the possibility of constructing a shooting range and youth education center at the site.
Project Funding
The estimated cost to construct the Lake Wanahoo/Sand Creek Project is $30 million. The major source of funding ($10 million) will come from the Water Resources Development Act, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The local project partners (the city of Wahoo, Saunders County, and the Lower Platte North NRD) are committed to $1 million each. Additional funding will come from the State of Nebraska ($12 million), the Nebraska Department of Roads ($3.5 million), and the Nebraska Environmental Trust ($1.28 million).
Project Timeline
Land rights acquisition for Lake Wanahoo was completed in summer 2000. In the Water Resources Development Act passed later that year, the project was given "conditional approval" by the Corps of Engineers, which required additional studies and reports. Final approval was granted in January 2003, and the Project Cooperative Agreement was signed in April 2004.
Work began on fishery structures in summer 2004. Construction on the wetlands phase of the Lake Wanahoo site (north of the lake) was completed in fall 2008. Work on a breakwater structure and the Lake Wanahoo dam embankment began in fall 2008.
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