Information Archives

Dear Nebraska City Utilities Customer,

We have been made aware of an email that is going around. THIS IS NOT AN EMAIL WE HAVE SENT OUT. please do not respond to this email if you receive it.

Phone System Error ****UPDATED****

Nebraska City Utilities has been notified this is an issue that one of our phone carriers is experiencing. We ask for your patience as they are currently working with their partners to resolve the issues with customers calling in and our office staff not being able to hear the person on the other end of the line.

As soon as we know more, we will update this notice. Until then:

If you are calling with a cellphone from US CELLULAR or AT&T please call this number (402)713-0860

This number uses our second phone carrier.

We are sorry and apologize for any inconvenience and hope it is resolved soon. Thank You for your patience and understanding!!!

12/19/2022 PHONE SCAM

Nebraska City Utilities would like to notify our customers and the general public of yet another new phone scam that multiple customers have brought to our attention.

The scam involves someone contacting you by phone posing as your utility company (We know from some customers they have faked their caller ID), claiming a discount of $75.00 to our senior customers and asking for your bank account number and routing number. Please do not give this information out.

Our recommendation should you receive a call like this, no matter what the person sounds like or what the caller ID information says, that you hang up the phone and call us back (preferably during the business office’s hours of 8-4PM) and inquire directly with us.

When you do, please pass on as much information about the SCAM call as soon as you can so we can work to identify and eliminate the SCAM and its associated threat(s).

If you have any questions, please call our main number 24/7 at 402-873-3353, reach us by email at service@nebraskacityutilities.com, or reply using the “REPORT AN OUTAGE/PROBLEM” option on the located on our website’s main/home page in the right most column.

New Phone SCAM

Phone SCAM Image

Nebraska City Utilities would like to notify our customers and the general public of yet another new phone scam that multiple customers have brought to our attention.

The scam involves someone contacting you by phone posing as your utility company (We know from some customers they have faked their caller ID), claiming you have missed a payment and owe money that must be paid within a short amount of time or be disconnected. (we have been told they have been saying you have 30 minutes to make a payment).

Our recommendation should you receive a call like this, no matter what the person sounds like or what the caller ID information says, that you hang up the phone and call us back (preferably during the business office’s hours of 8-4PM) and inquire directly with us.

When you do, please pass on as much information about the SCAM call as soon as you can so we can work to identify and eliminate the SCAM and its associated threat(s).

If you have any questions please call our main number 24/7 at 402-873-3353, reach us by email at service@nebraskacityutilities.com, or reply using the “REPORT AN OUTAGE/PROBLEM” option on the located on our website’s main/home page in the right most column.

IMPROPER USE OF WET WIPES AND OTHER MATERIALS ARE RAISING SEWER COSTS FOR THE CITY

NC Waste Water Treatment Plant, Primary Raw Lift Station Pump plugged and damaged by flushable/non-flushable wet wipes and other cloth like materials that should NOT be in the sanitary sewer system

SEWER COSTS WILL MOST LIKELY BE INCREASING DUE TO WET WIPE/OTHER MATERIAL INFLICTING DAMAGE

Since the beginning of the pandemic in late 2019 and early 2020 we have been seeing wide use of wet wipes being disposed of via flushing them into the sewer system. THESE ARE NOT TOLIET PAPER AND WE HAVE REPEATEDLY NOTIFIED THE PUBLIC of the damage these wipes and similar materials cause to the city’s sanitary sewer system.

It takes very little effort to properly dispose of these as solid waste in the city refuse pickup similarly to disposable baby diapers. Doing so saves us all, as a community in maintenance costs. Costs that will eventually lead to fee increases for everyone we serve.

WET WIPES ARE NOT SAFE FOR THE SEWER SYSTEM EVEN IF THEY SAY THEY ARE FLUSHABLE!!!

IT DOES NOT MATTER IF THE WET WIPES SAY FLUSHABLE OR NOT!!! Both types cause extreme issues with the sewer system that have a high price tag including costs of employee overtime hours, mitigation, and repair/replacement of the damaged equipment.

Damage with a replacement cost of $25,000 – $35,000.00 per raw lift pump per incident

The Nebraska City Waste Water Treatment Plant has a primary lift (pumping) station with 2 pumps that handle all waste water collected in the city. At least one of these pumps must be running at all times to raise the waste water from the incoming sewers to the level where it can be processed by the facility.

In the picture above the damage is very evident inside of one of these two very important pumps. When you summarize the costs of the damage shown in the picture you get:

1.) A mechanical shaft seals needs to be replaced at $2,500 just for the seal mechanism itself, plus the cost for a dedicated installation of the seal mechanism by the manufacturer of the pump.

2.) Over 40 employee hours for two operators to pull the pump, clean the pump, ship the pump for repair, and then receive and reinstall the pump which costs nearly as much as a new shaft seal mechanism.

3.) The cost of repairing/replacing the damaged pumps

4.) Finally, add on any penalties levied by Federal and State regulators (if there is a raw waste water discharge) and the cost can soar into the tens of thousands of dollars per incident. We at Nebraska City Utilities strive to be responsible to our environment and do all we can to perform our duties and protect the world we live in, however, when equipment fails we do not have a choice in the matter.

Damage to the primary clarifiers with a cost up to $25,000 dollars per incident

Primary Clarifier fouled up by fiber materials and drain lines being plugged

The rags and wet wipes clog up the primary clarifiers, plugging lines and damaging the scrapers/rakes that help remove the solids from the waste water.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE…

DISPOSE OF YOUR WET WIPES AND OTHER FIBER MATERIALS THAT DO NOT BELONG IN THE SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM AS SOLID WASTE!!! This small step performed by every member of the community helps us perform our mission to responsibly provide the best service for the lowest possible cost to you, our community.

WE THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO HELPING OUT WITH THIS ONGOING ISSUE!!!

Notice to Customers Using Online Services

There has recently been some confusion about how to properly use our online services to conduct business with Nebraska City Utilities. Our billing (Accounting) system and the online bill pay systems are separate systems.

To check your balance, see statements and payment history you should click the “View and Pay My Bill” Link circled in green in the graphic/picture above. You will need to create a user account to access this feature.

To make a payment you should use the “One Time Payment” Link circled in orange in the graphic/picture above. You just need to enter basic information to access the correct account and it will show limited information to verify you have the correct account. The balance due is what should be paid for the current billing period.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact us at 402-873-3353 or via the contact us form on this website.

Weather Repair Outages

We are aware of much of the damage to the Nebraska City Utilities’ electrical system caused by the record breaking storm activity that happened yesterday afternoon.

We performed many temporary repairs to ensure that we could get power to as many customers as possible yesterday evening.

Currently, we are in the process of making the needed permanent repairs. During which some of our customers will experience some limited power outages which are necessary so we can safely perform this repair work. We will do our best to notify affected customers of any outages that we plan in their area.

We appreciate and thank you for your ongoing patience as we carry out these repairs.

Please call if you have any questions, comments, or concerns at 402-873-3353 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year). You may also reach us through our website at: https://www.nebraskacityutilities.com and service@ncunebcity.com