The impacted area, Bishop said, generally has 20 to 25 houses. Riehle said dewatering helps the city, the homeowner and the environment. In the northwest area, he said, dewatering water is emptied into the floodway channel and detention cells instead of homeowners pumping it out of basements and into the sanitary sewer. That's important because the sanitary sewer lift station in that area is reaching capacity. Riehle estimates the northwest area dewatering is freeing up about 8 percent of the sanitary sewer capacity at the lift station.
Homeowners benefit with an increased property value.
The environment is aided by channeling the dewatering water into the Platte River. Riehle said this may become increasingly important as environmentalists seek to have Platte River water users replenish water for wildlife and habitat. Both Riehle and Bishop want to take the dewatering project a step further with a comprehensive study. The city is taking proposals to hire a consultant in December. The consultant would study different dewatering methods, determine the number of wells needed for a citywide plan, where to locate the wells and make recommendations on where to discharge the pumped water.