LINCOLN — A 4,000-acre lake between Omaha and Lincoln, a water-preserving canal on the South Platte River, and a $335-million investment in North and South Omaha all got a final green light Tuesday, April 12 from the Nebraska Legislature.

They were among nearly 100 bills given final-round approval by state lawmakers as they worked to finish up the 2022 session.

The manager of a sand-and-gravel mining operation said it would take "a lot of work and a lot of time" to turn a large portion of the Platte River floodplain into a 4,000-acre recreation lake southwest of Gretna.

Randy Bienhoff of Broadfoot's Sand & Gravel Corp. said, "they'd have plenty of sand for beaches."

In regard to the duration necessary to make the lake, Bienhoff said it depends on a lot of factors such as how many dredges and excavators are utilized, and whether there's a home for all the sand and gravel that's removed.

Legislative Bill 1023 will allocate $20 million toward planning and permitting for such a lake. Supporters of the lake are hoping a location east of Linoma Beach, on either side of U.S. Highway 2, will be the final landing place.

State Sen. Mike Hilgers of Lincoln, a major proponent of the lake, said the study will determine whether the big lake, through a public-private partnership, is feasible. Once an exact location is picked, he said, then it will be determined whether landowners will willingly sell their property.

The idea for the lake was spurred by a study of Nebraska's tourism needs by a special state legislative committee called STARWARS— the Statewide Tourism and Recreational Water Access and Resource Sustainability Special Committee.

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