A joint research pilot project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the Missouri Sedimentation Action Coalition was recently conducted on the Niobrara River in northeast Nebraska to test new technology designed to intercept sediment from the riverbed before it reaches Lewis and Clark Lake.
More than 50% of sediment deposited into the Missouri River reach that makes up the Lewis and Clark Lake delta comes from the Niobrara River. The spring-fed river travels along the northern edge of the Sand Hills of Nebraska and produces a nearly endless supply of sediment through bank, gully, riverbed, and overland erosion.
As a result, the water surface elevation of the Missouri River throughout the Lewis and Clark Lake delta has continued to rise since the lake was formed in 1955 causing increased flood risk, higher ground water levels and water quality and supply issues for nearby communities.