(KLZA)--Levels in the wells that serve Auburn, Nebraska water customers are steadily rising. However, a release says levels are not yet high enough to move out of the Stage 3 Drought Contingency Protocol.

Normally, well levels are 15 - 20 feet above the screens. Two of the wells have now improved to Stage 2 status. The recent rains have not saturated deep enough to recharge the wells.

Drought protocol is in place to ensure that if federal assistance is needed, the Board of Public Works has followed the standards of compliance and will be eligible for funding.

The release says the Board has been researching short-and long-term options for water supply.

Maintenance was performed on the wells due to high levels of iron and manganese. Pumps were not pulling water efficiently and the lines were nearly at 50% capacity. Cleaning the equipment allows us to pull more water, but there still isn’t enough water in some of the wells to increase pumping, which has been slowed down to help with recharge.

The Board of Public Works has also been working on a project to draw water from Longs Creek north of Auburn.

While the project has been a challenge at every step, The Board of Public Works and all the agencies that are involved agree that it will move forward.

A temporary water plant will be built to treat water that will be put into the Auburn water system.

Due to the equipment and material lead times required for this system, we will not be able to bring this online until spring of 2026. This system will be available while a long-term solution is developed.

Non-essential water usage is still prohibited at this time. The Board of Public Works has maintained a full reservoir of 22’ despite the challenges presented.

Data is provided daily concerning the number of gallons pumped, pumping times, and reservoir levels, helping to keep the public informed of current conditions.

For updates you can go to the City of Auburn website at https://auburn.ne.gov.

The reservoir holds 1.5 million gallons of water and has not dropped below the normal levels and is currently stable. This is due to the implementation of the plan and the collaboration of the members of the Auburn and Peru communities’ reduction in use.

Everyone's efforts to conserve water until levels return to normal is appreciated.