(KLZA)-- The Village of  Rulo will received a $485-thousand Community Development  Block  Grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic  Development to help restore and rebuild major components of the municipal water system, damaged during historic flooding in 2019. 

Prior to the flooding the aging water meters in the community made it nearly impossible to detect and pinpoint leaks in the system, at one  point nearly 200-thousand gallons of un-recoupable water was lost. 

Following a total of 272 days of the Missouri River being above flood stage last year the destruction included destroyed residential water meters and a number of the underground meters were covered in multiple feet of silt.  Rulo is still forced to estimate the water usage when billing customers.
With more than 52 percent of the villages 190 inhabitants classified as low-to-moderate income, Rulo was able to access the CDBG program through the DED to finance 100 percent of the cost of its water meter replacement project. 

The new aboveground system will be less prone to flood damage and the high-tech meters will be more accurate. The meters will also be radio read meters.  The new meters will also allow the Village to quickly detect leaks.