Florence Water Works facts for kids

The Florence Water Works is a really important place in the Florence neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. It's where the Minne Lusa Pumping Station is located. This facility has been providing clean water to the entire city of Omaha since 1880!

How Omaha Got Its Water Works

The Florence Water Works was built between 1879 and 1880. A local company called the City Water Works Company started it. This company was a "private venture," meaning it was owned by individuals, not the government.

Early Ownership Changes

Sadly, the City Water Works Company couldn't pay back its loans. So, in 1887, another company called the American Water Works Company bought it. American Water Works owned water companies in many cities, like South Omaha and Denver.

That same year, American Water Works began building the Minne Lusa Pumping Station. It officially opened on August 1, 1889, with Mayor James Dahlman there. Later, in 1895, a new private owner took over and renamed the business the Omaha Water Works.

Becoming Public Property

In 1913, the city wanted to make utility services, like water, public. So, the Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) was created. MUD wanted to buy the water works from American Water Works.

However, American Water Works didn't want to sell. The city kept trying, and eventually, the case went to federal courts. In 1916, the court decided in favor of the city. This meant MUD could finally buy the water works.

Florence Joins Omaha

In 1917, the City of Florence faced a big problem. It told the Nebraska State Legislature it couldn't pay its "bonds." Bonds are like promises to pay back money borrowed. Florence couldn't pay because it lost tax money from the privately owned American Water Works.

This situation basically made Florence "bankrupt," meaning it ran out of money. Because of this, the City of Omaha officially took over Florence the next year. This is called "annexation."

What the Water Works Does Today

Today, the Metropolitan Utilities District (MUD) runs the Florence Water Works. This facility is where water is taken from the Missouri River and cleaned for the city.

Cleaning Omaha's Water

The Water Works has special parts to clean the water. It has "intakes" and "pumps" that pull water from the river. There's also a "chlorination plant" where chlorine is added to kill germs.

The water then goes into "sedimentation basins," which are like big settling pools. Here, dirt and other heavy stuff sink to the bottom. After that, it goes to "storage basins" and a "filter plant." The filter plant can clean up to 72 million gallons of water every day!

An "intake station" sits across the road from the main plant, right by the Missouri River. The whole area is surrounded by trees, which helps to screen it.