Spring Lake Park Pond Restoration Project
The City of Omaha has received a $200,000 Nebraska Environmental Trust Fund Grant for the Spring Lake Park Pond Restoration Project. Spring Lake Park is located in South Omaha and was originally established in the 1870s. The original park had a small lake that was later drained during the 1930s. With this grant, these natural wetlands will be restored to enhance habitat presence, provide improvements to water quality, and provide recreation and economic benefits for the entire community. The restoration will fulfill visions that began in 1939 and were revitalized in 2001. In addition to enhancing community pride, this project is expected to:
- Enhance the continued presence and proliferation of deer, wild turkeys and other wildlife.
- Sustain fish and other aquatic species populations.
- Improve groundwater quality by minimizing inflow to a closed landfill adjacent to the restoration site.
- Improve Missouri River water quality by minimizing combined sewer overflows and incorporating green solutions.
- Minimize CSO Program costs by incorporating green solutions in place of conventional gray infrastructure.
The grant money will be used to study and develop the final design and bid specifications for the revitalization of Spring Lake Park. Clean Solutions for Omaha (CSO!) has made this project a priority because it demonstrates how green solutions can play a significant role in meeting our regulatory requirements for this unfunded Federal mandate and also result in meaningful community enhancements.
Partners
- Nebraska Environmental Trust
- City of Omaha
- Omaha Parks, Recreation and Public Property
- Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District
- Keep Omaha Beautiful
- Spring Lake Neighborhood Association
- Spring Lake Park Habitat Restoration and Preservation Team
- CSO Program Management Team
The Nebraska Environmental Trust
The Nebraska Environmental Trust was established in 1992 to conserve, enhance and restore the natural environments of Nebraska. It was created on the conviction that a prosperous future is dependent upon a sound natural environment and that Nebraskans could collectively achieve real progress on real environmental issues if seed money were provided.
The Trust especially seeks projects that bring public and private partners together collaboratively to implement high-quality, cost-effective projects. The Trust values projects that leverage private investment in conservation and emphasize long-lasting results.