The Nebraska Legislature’s Role in Flood Prevention
The Nebraska State Capitol, completed in 1932, where the Nebraska Unicameral meets.
W
hen historic floods recently hit Nebraska, the state’s legislature, executive branch, local governments, and regional entities all worked together to respond and to rebuild. As one element in the rebuilding process, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 177, a bill to extend the bonding authority of the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District (NRD) and allow it to carry out more flood control projects. State Senator Brett Lindstrom was the sponsor of LB 177. In this interview with Municipal Water Leader Managing Editor Joshua Dill, Senator Lindstrom explains the role of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature in the flood control process and how the legislature works with the state’s NRDs. Joshua Dill: Please about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
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Joshua Dill: Please tell us about how the recent floods affected your district. Brett Lindstrom: My particular district is in a primarily residential area of northwestern Omaha, and Omaha and its suburbs did not get hit nearly as badly as cities like Fremont, which is only a
30-minute drive away; Valley; or even Elkhorn, which is just west. That was due to the fact that the NRDs, particularly the Papio-Missouri River NRD, had taken precautionary steps over the last couple decades to guard against the effects of floods. In the state as a whole, the costs of repairs are astronomical. President Trump declared an emergency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is going to pick up the vast majority—I think 75–80 percent— of the costs. Without that, we would be in trouble. Joshua Dill: Would you give us an overview of what the Nebraska Legislature’s responsibilities are when it comes to flood planning and response? Brett Lindstrom: Most flood response activities are the responsibility of the governor and executive branch agencies like the Department of Transportation. The NRDs are also vital. As you may know, there are 23 NRDs in the state; their boundaries follow river basins. I learned a lot about the NRDs when, during my first 2 years as a senator, I sat on the legislature’s Natural Resources
PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY WEBSTER.
Brett Lindstrom: I grew up in Nebraska, and I work in the financial services industry. I’ve been a state senator for 5 years. I represent District 18, which is in northwestern Omaha. About 40,000 people live in my district. I had been relatively engaged in politics
as an observer prior to my run for office, and my predecessor was termed out— Nebraska state senators are limited to two 4-year terms. So I started knocking on doors—I ended up knocking on about 10,000 of them—and was elected to office. I was reelected this past November. When I ran for office, I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into; I don’t think most of us do. You talk about maybe three different issues when you’re going door to door, but when you get to the legislature there are 700 issues. I didn’t even know anything about NRDs when I first started. The Unicameral is unique when it comes to legislation. All 49 of us senators are free agents, so I can bring whatever bills I want forward. Over my 5 years in the legislature, I have passed about 30 bills on a whole host of topics.
