DOES RIVERSIDE LAKES HAVE A HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION? Yes. The Riverside Lakes Homeowners Association (RLHOA) is a vital part of the Riverside Lakes community. Association dues are $100 a year, and may be adjusted annually by vote of its members. Dues are sent to: RLHOA, P.O. Box 155, Waterloo, NE 68069. Membership dollars fund activities such as community social events, our website, newsletters and mailings, Neighborhood Cleanup, Citizen's Patrol, Covenants Compliance, along with the administration of the RLHOA as required by state statues. An active homeowners’ association is what makes our neighborhood a Community; without it we are just another sub-division. Meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of each month. For more information, please visit the Homeowners Association's Page.
WHAT IS AN SID? In Nebraska, Sanitary Improvement Districts exist as a political subdivision of the State of Nebraska created and governed by specific statutory authority. An SID is a municipal corporation much like a small city with the exception of possessing police powers. The primary responsibility of an SID is to provide financing for the development, operation, and maintenance of public facilities for the benefit of the property within the SID boundaries. Generally, SIDs are created to develop a new area near an existing city and once the debt level is paid down to a reasonable level the area is absorbed by the city and the SID eliminated. Due to Riverside Lakes unique situation, it continues to operate as an SID (#177). Our SID generally meets the third Wednesday of each month, however this schedule is subject to change. SID meeting notices are posted in the entrance the week of each meeting.
WHO SERVES ON THE SID BOARD? The SID #177 board is made up of five members that are elected every two years through the Douglas County Election Commission. Current board members are listed on the S.I.D. Board Member Page
WHO ARE OTHER KEY CONTACTS? For police and fire please call 911. For water issues, call People Service at 359-4307 or 1-888-861-1921 for emergency water outages. OPPD provides electrical service while Black Hills Energy provides natural gas. Trash pick up is not provided so an independent contractor such as Papillion Sanitation 346-7800 will be needed. Recycling service is also available through Curbside Rewards. Communications companies that service the area include Cox Communications and Qwest.
WHAT LAWN FERTILIZERS SHOULD I USE? Lawn fertilizers that are phosphorus free or contain minimal amounts of phosphorus (usually the middle number on the bag) should be used to protect the lakes. A high phosphorous concentration can lead to a host of water problems such as algae blooms, scum, decreased water clarity, and stress on the fish.
HOW BIG ARE THE LAKES AND THE COMMUNITY? According to the initial real estate brochures, the boating lake is 80 acres (2 mile ski run) and the fishing lake is 16 acres. A newspaper article from 1968 lists the boating lake at 90 acres and the fishing lake at 26 acres. The entire community sits on 250 acres approximately 50 of which are preserved as common areas maintained by the SID. There are 87 lots on the boating lake, 60 on the fishing lake, and 45 river lots. Lots also exist along the park that back up to the tennis courts.
IS THERE A DANGER OF FLOODING? Riverside Lakes was built 10 feet above the highest flood on record. Not that is was necessary to be this high, but because it was the most practical way to dispose of the material taken out of the lakes. This height far exceeds the height of dikes built to protect nearby cities.
SHOULD I PUT OUT FOOD FOR DUCKS AND GEESE? NO! Feeding waterfowl is strictly prohibited. We have an overabundance of waterfowl and feeding them will only make it worse. Excessive amounts of these birds generate an excessive amount of waste and other problems.
BUT THE DUCKS AND GEESE ARE REALLY CUTE! Yes, yes they are. Cute? Yes. Hungry? Not really.
WHAT ARE THE BUILDING CODES? Any new structures or changes to existing structures need to be approved by the homeowners association. In most cases a building permit from the city of Omaha will also be required. See Omaha Codes. Keep in mind that property lines generally end at the sea walls and the SID owns most of the beach areas, the land under the water, and all common areas and use is granted to homeowners through the SID. If a project will effect any of these areas, the SID board should be contacted in advance. These regulations exist to protect all homeowners and are not meant to be a determent to home improvement. Generally, any board member can offer guidance in this area.
WHY DOES THE CITY OF OMAHA HAVE ZONING JURISDICTION? In Nebraska, a small city's zoning jurisdiction extends 2 miles beyond its borders while large cities, such as Omaha, have a three mile range. Previously, Riverside Lakes was within Elkhorn's zoning jurisdiction. Since Omaha annexed Elkhorn, the city of Omaha now has zoning jurisdiction over the Riverside Lakes area.
DO WE HAVE FLUORIDE IN OUR DRINKING WATER? No. This issue was studied and proposed in 2007 and voted down. Advocates of water fluoridation say that fluoridation is similar to fortifying milk with vitamin D and say it is an effective way to prevent tooth decay. Those opposed to public fluoridation of drinking water contend that water fluoridation can have harmful health effects and claim that fluoridation takes away individual choice as to the substances a person ingests. During debate of the proposal to add flouride it was noted that floride provides no benefits to adults and that our filtration system would remove most of the flouride from the water before it reached our homes. Residents with children should inform their dental care provider that our water is not fluoridated.
IS ALGAE IN THE LAKES A PROBLEM? On occassion there may be an algae bloom. Should you see an algae problem, report it to a SID board member. Certain types of algae can cause rashes and other health problems so do not swim or ingest the water or let your pets ingest it. Generally, we can have algae eradicated in 24 hours.
HOW IS THE BEST WAY TO MEET PEOPLE? There are numerous excellent events throughout the year to help residents get together. Find out more by reading the Waves Newsletter or visit the Upcoming Events page (coming soon).
Q. What happened to the idea of lake dredging?
A. Dredging is still on the table for the fishing lake. The SID Board expects to address this issue later this year or early next year. The Board must first perform a study to determine the cost and effectiveness of the process.
Q. If Alum capsulates the phosphorus, then why do you have to treat the lake?
A. The alum treatments only dealt with the existing phosphorus in the lakes. Phosphorus is continually introduced to the water with wells, rain, and ground water. This will be an ongoing process. The alum flock does create a residual effect of Phosphorus, and will gradually reduce the needed strength of additional treatments.
Q. What are the long term effects of Alum treatment? Do continued treatments pose any increased health risk?
A. Alum does not present a health risk. This process is an old and tried process for treating water, including drinking water. The long term effects of alum will gradually decrease the strength and frequency of treatments, and create a minor compression effect on the bottom of the lakes.
Q. Does the alum treatment reduce the “sludge” and increase the depth of the lakes.
A. No, Alum only effects the phosphorus not the sludge. The sludge is being addressed with a chemical experiment, and long term will probably have to be addressed with dredging. It is possible to see a very minor increase in the depth of the lakes due to the compression effect of the flock created by the combination of phosphorus and alum.
Q. Is it true the phosphorus levels are better in the well water than the ground water?
A. The very short answer to this question is Yes, but I do believe we need to clarify the answer.
The state standard for lake water in terms of phosphorus is 50. Our goal is 35-50
The well water concentration is 330 to 790. Very high
The ground water concentration is 1890 to 9500. Extraordinarily high
Obviously, we have a real problem from both our wells and ground water. The SID Board is in the process of determining the best cost scenario for phosphorus mitigation.
Q. What is the monthly cost of operating the wells?
A. The electrical cost is in the neighborhood of $400 per month per well. The ongoing maintence is roughly $195 for inspections every 2- 3 years and the resulting fixes from the inspections of $0 to $5000. The higher number is rare.
Q. How much does the recirculation study, and water treatment study cost?
A. We have not determined the cost of the recirculation study. This is new information to us, and the SID Board is investigating.
The water treatment last year was $108K.
The new alum injection and combination cost analysis study will be $26k.
The dredging study will be $4k.
The monthly sampling is $350.
The consultant fees from various companies are in the $50k range over two years.
The dredging costs are yet to be determined, but our initial guess is $18 -$20 per cubic yard removed. That cost will be in that range only if we can dispose of the sediment locally.
Publish the maps and well readings at each of the sites.