Haworth Park Floods as River Levels Continue to Rise

Missouri River Levels continued to rise as Haworth Park found itself deeper underwater as the day progressed.

Bellevue Mayor Rusty Hike said that the 2019 flood confirmed that the work that was just beginning on the levees at that time was critical. “The levy improvements were ironically scheduled to start at about the same time the 2019 flood occurred. Money for those levies were a combination of city, state, and federal funds,” said Hike. “The levees were raised anywhere from 1 to 3 feet depending on elevations that were determined to be needed. Had those levees been improved before the flood of 2019, I firmly believe the damage would not have been near as extensive as it was.”

Hike went on to say that now that those sleeves are up, the city feels very confident that it will keep us safe from future flooding, or at least those less-than-1000-year floods. Again, Mother Nature has a way of showing who’s boss.

Hike then talked about the work being done on the railroad tracks near Haworth Park. “The retention wall built underneath the railroad bridge on Mission Avenue is a key piece to protecting the ground on the west side of the levee. In the past, we have always damned it up with sandbags and dirt,” said Hike. “The retention dam wall was engineered to specifically hold back any waters that come around the backside along the Burlington Railway tracks. The city, Papio Natural Resource District, BNSF, the Corp of Engineers, the State of Nebraska, and Sarpy County are all working together.

Regarding projections, we feel any floodwaters in this event will be held on the river side of the levee.”

The City of Bellevue also released a statement this afternoon on social media: “As of 2pm on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, water has entered the campground at Haworth Park. While the water is continuing to rise in the campground and old marina, it is not close to reaching the top of the levees that protect Offutt AFB along with the residents and businesses in this area.

While the levee system is currently holding strong and expected to do so for the entirety of this flood event, the City of Bellevue, the Papio Missouri River NRD, Offutt AFB and the Sarpy County Sheriffs Office are among those agencies monitoring the levee system in Bellevue around the clock for any possible breaches. The public will be notified with as much notice as possible if any levees in our area compromised during this flood event.”

All pictures provided by the City of Bellevue, Nebraska – Haworth Park pictures were taken around 2pm on Wednesday, June 26, 2024