City Provides Update on Water 2.0 Project
Published on August 14, 2025
Major work begins to supply water to Lincoln from Missouri River
Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Director Liz Elliott today announced the City has started construction on a major component of Lincoln’s Water 2.0 project.
A new water transmission main along 98th Street in northeast Lincoln will serve as a link between the City’s current water source at the Platte River and its future second source from a wellfield and treatment plant being planned at the Missouri River. It will also provide benefits to the existing system in the short term by providing redundancy and resiliency.
“The 98th Street water transmission main will provide a crucial point of connection between Lincoln’s existing water supply and our future second source,” Mayor Gaylor Baird said. “This milestone in our Water 2.0 project also represents a connection between current and future generations of Lincolnites. I’m excited to think that, years from now, when our children and grandchildren turn on their taps and pour a glass of water, they can look back on this day as the start of our efforts to ensure their glass would always be full.”
The new transmission main will be a single pipe that ranges in size from 54 to 60-inches and connects the Northeast Pump Station located at 98th Street and Alvo Road to the Vine Street Reservoir. The transmission main will run along the east side of North 98th Street.
The 98th Street water transmission main is expected to be completed in 2026 and is paid for by $36 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds designated for the Water 2.0 project.
City Councilmember Tom Beckius joined Mayor Gaylor Baird and Director Elliott at the news conference.
Elliott said the new transmission main will offer short-term and long-term benefits that will help ensure redundancy for Lincoln’s water system. The transmission main will be able to carry up to 60 million gallons of water per day and offer a connection point where treated Missouri River water will merge with treated Platte River water and both will flow into the City system by 2048. The project also connects two City reservoirs and increases the City’s ability to provide water if impacted by extreme weather like flooding, drought, and power outages from either reservoir, she said.
To help decrease construction time to complete the 98th Street Transmission Main Project, Elliott said LTU is dividing the work into two construction projects that will be constructed at the same time. Landowners whose properties may be affected have already received early notification about the upcoming work.
“When the final connection is made, the 98th Street transmission main will be a crucial piece of infrastructure that will help support the city’s growth, provide backup in case of potential challenges or natural disasters, and make the water distribution system more flexible and reliable for the future,” Elliott said.
Beckius said the City’s efforts to secure a second source of water reflect community priorities like planning, collaboration and initiative.
“As we dig in today, we take charge of our future. We take charge to provide the families, homes, and businesses of Lincoln’s future with the same water, health and prosperity we benefit from today,” Beckius said.