(PERU)-- Representatives from the Nemaha Natural Resources District met earlier this month with Natural Resources Conservation Service project engineers and the contractor, Leroy & Sons, for a final walk through of the newly completed Duck Creek flood control dam west of Peru.

Just a few days later, the $1.1 million structure already stored 250 acre feet of water from the previous weekend rains. Although water levels in the new reservoir increased by 12 feet, an additional 350 acre feet of water would still be required to fill the lake to its normal pool level. In the past water now stored in the lake would have ended up in the Peru bottoms creating drainage and flooding problems for land and road infrastructure in that area. Duck Creek’s sister dam on Buck Creek stored a similar volume of water over the rainy weekend. The pool in Duck Creek will be allowed to drop back to construction levels as the NRD has no plans to permanently fill the lake until fall, 2016. 

Although dam construction has been completed, work had just started on the construction of a new bridge and box culvert on County Road 736. The road will remain closed until both of those projects are completed in early 2016. Over the next 18 months, the NRD will focus on completing the recreation facilities planned for Duck Creek; and it is hoped the area can be opened to the public in late 2017. 

The NRD is working with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to develop what is expected to be an outstanding fishery and install numerous angler access facilities. Several other recreation related facilities are also being planned.

For more information contact the Nemaha NRD at 402-335-3325