Welcome to the Johnson Lake Wastewater System website. Our hope is that you will visit often and send the JLET team your comments and feedback on any issue that is important to you.
SID Updates and News:
ALL J-LAKE HOMES, CABINS, AND BUSINESSES WERE CONNECTED TO THE SEWER
COLLECTION MAINS PRIOR TO THE JULY 4TH HOLIDAY WEEKEND!
The SID extends its appreciation to the crews of Van Kirk Bros Construction of Sutton, now headed by Marv Cochran, and Rutjens Construction of Tilden, headed by Charlie Swartz, for their efforts in getting all of the service connections completed before the busy July 4th holiday weekend. Over 200,000 gallons of sewage was pumped on July 4th!
After the holiday weekend, all of the crews will continue doing clean up, pouring clean out protective concrete rings, filling sink holes in the yards and trenches, repairing sprinkler lines, grading, shaping and resurfacing of the access roads, grading and shaping of the common areas behind the access roads, and any miscellaneous repair work still needed.
Updated 7-07-08
J-LAKE SID CONTRACTS FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICE
Ken Gardner of Johnson Lake (Bullhead Point) was selected from three bidders for the contract maintenance operator for the Johnson Lake SID #1 Sanitary Sewer Collection and Treatment System. Other bidders were Redhawk Construction of Elwood and People's Service of Omaha. Ken was most recently the water and wastewater operator and maintenance person for Sapp Bros. Truck Stop and Restaurant at Odessa, after having retired as paid driver and maintenance person for the Kearney Volunteer Fire Department, of which he was a 20-plus year member. Ken and his wife, Pam, are also members of the Johnson Lake EMS.
Ken will begin his duties with the SID on July 1, and is responsible for operation and maintenance of the sewer system. He can be contacted at 308-785-2203 or by emailing: SIDoptr@jlake.org. Any concerns with regard to the pump stations and alarm lights should be directed to Ken. Each home owner is responsible for maintaining his or her service connection from the home/cabin to the collection main. At least one clean out has been provided for each hookup, which can be utilized for checking and flushing the connection. You are also encouraged to verify that your vent line is free and clear prior to calling a plumber. It also can be flushed using a garden hose.
Any concerns that lot holders have with regards to construction activities, repairs, and clean up should be addressed directly to the General Contractor's Office for Jim Van Kirk of Van Kirk Bros at 402-773-5250 or emailed to vkbros@mainstaycomm.net. Or, you may directly contact the local contractor's job foremen for assistance.
Updated 7-01-08
ALL SEWER SERVICE CONNECTIONS TO BE FINISHED BY TUESDAY, JULY 1ST
The last four sewer service connections are scheduled to be completed today (June 30), which will mark the completion of all of the sewer connections at Johnson Lake. Thereafter, all of the crews will be doing clean up, pouring clean out protective concrete rings, filling sink holes in the yards and trenches, repairing sprinkler lines, grading, shaping and resurfacing of the access roads, grading and shaping of the common areas behind the access roads, and any miscellaneous repair work still needed.
Any concerns that lot holders have about any of the above matters should be addressed to the General Contractor's Office for Jim Van Kirk of Van Kirk Bros at 402-773-5250 or emailed to vkbros@mainstaycomm.net.
In response to many people asking, "What can we throw down the sewer?," here are some tips. Regulatory agencies advise that the following items should not be introduced into any sewer and/or grinder pump, either directly or through a kitchen waste garbage disposal unit:
- Glass
- Metal
- Seafood shells
- Goldfish stone
- Diapers, socks, rags or cloth
- Plastic Objects (toys, utensils, etc)
- Kitty litter
- Sanitary napkins, tampons or condoms
- Grease, gasoline, oil, paint and other such chemicals
- Explosives
- Fireworks
- Flammable material
- Prescription drugs
- Kitchen grease
Updated 6-30-08
COMPLETED SEWER SERVICE CONNECTIONS APPROACH 75% TOTAL
The West side (Rutjens) is approximately 77% completed and the East side (Van Kirks) is approximately 63% completed as of last Friday! East side crews will be working on Saturday beginning next weekend doing home service connections. If the crews are in your area or approaching it, you are again reminded to mark your underground utilities with white flags. This should include buried electrical, buried propane lines, buried water lines, your septic location, where your sewer line leaves your house, and any sprinkler heads or lines that might be in the path of the service connection. The flags are available at Stewart's former Photo Studio Bldg lot, Drive 11, or at the SID Building, 42738 Road 748. One-call will mark your telephone, cable and natural gas lines; but not the above items. Home owners are responsible for the repair costs if the utilities are not marked.
Click on the Construction Tab above and then the "Tracking File" link in the middle of the page to view the work status by area around the lake.
Clean up, pouring clean out concrete protective rings, concrete replacement, yard and common area preparation, seeding, and mulching is being done on both sides from the south ends, progressing northward. Unfortunately, the mid-week rains the past four weeks have hampered this effort; but both crews are working hard to catch up.
Please contact the respective contractor's supervisors/foremen (listed in bold) as follows with
your specific concerns:
EAST SIDE: Marv – 402-984-9709; Josh – 402-469-0609; Marlo – 402-469-6757; Office – 402-773-5250; vkbros@mainstaycomm.net
WEST SIDE: Charlie – 402-750-6643; Adam – 402-750-9407; Don – 402-649-1840; Office – 402-368-2922; rutjens@cableone.net
JLET/SID: Jeff (M-Th) – 402-699-1095; Chad (Fri) – 308-785-2203; LarryO, Clk – 308-785-2353; Bruce, Chm – 308-785-2940; JLET@jlake.org; SID@jlake.org
Call above construction supervisors/foremen concerning clean up, roads, and minor damages and repairs. On major damages, please report to JLET and request forms from SID.
Updated 5-06-08
SEEKING WASTEWATER CONTRACT OPERATOR
The Johnson Lake SID is desiring to contract for an experienced wastewater operator. The contract operator should be knowledgable of the function and characteristics of gravity/pressure collection systems, their related structures, a multi-cell complete retention lagoon treatment system, maintenance procedures, and record keeping.
For further details and contact information, view the official notice under the SID/SEWER NEWS link at: www.jlake.org.
Johnson Lake is a west central Nebraska recreation facility located around a 2,500 acre regulating lake, part of the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation system. It consists of approximately 900 homes, cabins and businesses; with over 700 full-time residents and many seasonal recreational visitors. The community is located 8 miles south of the Lexington I-80 exit in both Gosper and Dawson Counties.
Updated 4-14-08
Construction Progress Map: updated 05-21-08
News Archive
Click here for the News Archive.
Introduction to the Project
Currently at Johnson Lake, each individual property owner has been responsible for their own water supply and sanitary sewer facilities. However, pressures on the lake from this system have led to the need for a more permanent and reliable wastewater system.
During the spring of 2005, the Johnson Lake Sanitary and Improvement District No. 1 of Gosper County (SID) contracted with the Johnson Lake Engineering Team (JLET) to design a complete wastewater collection and treatment system for the homes and businesses surrounding the lake. The ultimate goal of the project is to build a wastewater system that will connect every single home, business and public facility to a series of drains and pipes that will collect wastewater and sewage and transport it to a wastewater treatment facility.
Project Phases
Phase I: Study of Wastewater Alternatives for the Lake Community
Phase 1 has been completed and the conclusions and recommendations were submitted to the SID Board on October 13, 2005.
Phase II: Final Design
In this phase, the engineers and scientists completed detailed drawings for every aspect of the wastewater collection system and the lagoon. This required detailed knowledge about the current septic tanks and other relevant items for each lot.
Phase III: Construction
Bids for construction were taken in the summer of 2006. After the general contractor was chosen,
construction began, starting at the south end of the lake and working north.
Project Schedule
PHASE I: STUDY TO SELECT THE BEST ALTERNATIVE (Completed 2005)
May/June 2005: Begin survey and geotechnical work
May - August 2005: Technical and financial analyses
September 24, 2005: Public Meeting
November 2005: Final report and recommendations to SID Board
PHASE II: DESIGN (Completed Summer 2006)
November 2005: Begin detailed designs
January - May 2006: Prepare construction bid documents
Spring/Summer 2006: Take bids for construction
PHASE III: CONSTRUCTION
May 2006: Begin lagoon construction
August 2006: Begin collection system construction
Summer 2008: Complete construction
Project Team
Click here for information about the Project Team.
NOTE: You will need Adobe Acrobat on your computer to view some of the documents and drawings referred to throughout this site. If you do not have Adobe on your computer, go to this link to download the latest version.