Local Issues: Parks & Recreation

Sierra Club Opposes OPPD Power Line Along Keystone Trail

Put it with the other power lines on 72nd Street!

by Clyde Anderson
December, 2003

Since the project’s inception in the late 1980’s, the Sierra Club has been an active supporter of the Papio Trails System. We commend the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District (NRD) for its past and continued support for recreation trails in the Omaha metro area.

We are concerned by OPPD’s proposal to construct a high-voltage power line along the west bank of the Little Papio Creek extending north from the Union Pacific bridge just south of I-80 to a substation near Pine St. just north of the College of St. Mary campus. OPPD proposes to locate this power line adjacent to the Keystone Trail.

OPPD needs permission from the NRD, Army Corps of Engineers, and Douglas County to build this power line. Kent Holm, Director of Environmental Services for Douglas County, opposes the trail location for the power lines because of the disruption and damage to the trail. Douglas County is responsible for maintain-ing this segment of the trail and the athletic fields adjacent to the trail and College of St. Mary.

OPPD should instead locate the power line along 72nd St., a right-of-way where a high-voltage power line already exists. There are several reasons why the Keystone Trail route should be rejected:

• The Keystone Trail and ball fields at College of St. Mary are heavily used by pedestrians and others who would be exposed to electro-magnetic fields (EMF’s) and other potential health risks due to the close proximity of the power lines to the recreational activities. There are far fewer pedestrians and cyclists along the 72nd St. route.
• The trail is a linear park, and the power lines would detract from the natural beauty of the corridor. The 72nd St. corridor already is cluttered with ugly power lines, billboards, commercial signs, and heavy street traffic – hardly a park-like setting!
• According to the article that appeared in the Nov. 27 Omaha World Herald, OPPD is concerned about the disruption to businesses along 72nd St. that would result from installation of the new power line. I live ½-block from 72nd St. Based on my observations when OPPD relocated its high-voltage lines for the widening 72nd St., disruption to traffic and businesses was minor. OPPD doesn’t care about disruption to traffic on the Keystone Trail!
• One of the reasons stated by OPPD for installing the new power line is to provide more reliable power to the growing mid-town commercial district. Despite the higher initial cost, locating the new power line underground protected from wind, ice, and other sources of damage would provide a big boost to reliability. Most of the power lines in the Downtown area are buried, and this practice should be expanded to other parts of the city that are densely developed like the 72nd St. corridor.

We demand that the NRD, County and Corps protect the health of the families that recreate along the Keystone Trail corridor by rejecting OPPD’s request for a permit to locate its high-voltage power line there.

The NRD Program & Projects Committee will vote on the OPPD permit at its meeting on Tuesday, January 8.

We need your help to keep the power lines away from the trail. Please attend the public meeting hosted by NRD Board member Melissa Gardner at 7:00 PM on Monday, January 5th at Belle Ryan School, 1807 S. 60th St. (5 blocks north of Center). Join your neighbors for dessert, beverages, and open discussion about the power line project. For more information, call 402-933-5792.