Putting Water Into Perspective

This post is not intended to respond to any one concern regarding the proposed Tenaska project, Lincoln Water 2.0, or a potential future data center. Instead, our goal is to provide perspective on water availability and water use in eastern Cass County using publicly available information.

CURRENT WATER RESOURCES IN CASS COUNTY

Water availability has been a topic of discussion in Cass County long before the proposed Tenaska project.

During Planning Commission meetings regarding Lincoln Water 2.0, planning commission members from within Cass Rural Water District No. 2, which serves portions of western Cass County, expressed concerns about current and future water needs.

Meanwhile, the City of Plattsmouth has experienced water quality challenges and is in the process of connecting to the Metropolitan Utilities District (M.U.D.) through a pipeline beneath the Platte River.

The eastern portion of Cass County is primarily served by Cass Rural Water District No. 1, whose water supply comes from wells located near the Missouri River.

HOW MUCH WATER FLOWS THROUGH THE MISSOURI RIVER?

The Missouri River along eastern Cass County has a typical flow of approximately 35,000 cubic feet per second (cfs).

To help put that into perspective:

+ 1 cubic foot of water equals approximately 7.48 gallons.

+ At a typical flow of 35,000 cfs, roughly 22.6 billion gallons of water move past eastern Cass County each day.

LINCOLN WATER 2.0

Lincoln Water 2.0 proposes to obtain water from wells drawing groundwater associated with the Missouri River.

The project's estimated maximum daily demand is approximately 60 million gallons per day, which is equivalent to roughly 93 cubic feet per second.

As with any public water project, hydrologic and environmental studies are required to evaluate water availability and potential impacts before permits are issued.

A HYPOTHETICAL COMPARISON

Public estimates have suggested that a large data center could use 1 to 5 million gallons of water per day, depending on its size and cooling technology.

If a future Tenaska project—including both a power plant and a large industrial customer—were to require 5 to 10 million gallons of water per day, and if that water were supplied from the Missouri River, it would represent approximately 8 to 16 cubic feet per second out of the river's typical 35,000 cubic feet per second flow.

It is important to note that this is a hypothetical comparison for perspective only.

At this time, we are not aware of any official proposal identifying the source of water for a Tenaska project, nor has a specific industrial partner been publicly announced.

WHY WE ARE SHARING THIS

Our purpose is not to advocate for or against any project.

Our goal is to provide context that helps residents better understand the scale of the numbers being discussed. As additional information becomes publicly available—including environmental studies, permit applications, engineering reports, or official development proposals—we will continue to share those facts and distinguish confirmed information from assumptions or speculation

Sources:

USGS Current Conditions:

Omaha: waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=06610000

Nebraska City: waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=06807000

Plattsmouth gauge (stage-focused): waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/06805600 and USACE/NOAA pages.

Supporting data from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) navigation reports and Missouri River Basin River Forecast Center (MBRFC) summaries.

Primary Sources (official City of Lincoln documents):

Water 2.0 Frequently Asked Questions (October 2025 update): lincoln.ne.gov/.../FAQ

Water 2.0 project pages and announcements: lincoln.ne.gov/SecondWaterSource

Related news releases and presentations from Lincoln Transportation & Utilities (LTU).