Journalist Nancy Gaarder explains that one of the five wells in Nebraska, Plattsmouth’s water plant, is once again operating at full speed. It supplies 7,000 people in the area with drinking water and since the historic flooding that occurred last March, people were having to watch their water usage and conserve as much as humanly possible. The city had people working 24/7 on getting the power plant up and running again and after three months, the city can pump 100,000 gallons more than it did before the flood. The city hopes to get two more wells up and working again, all while trying to find a long-term solution to the fixture of the water plants. 

Gaarder’s article is set up in a way that requires readers to understand the context of the flooding that occurred last spring. Though she does give the date and hints at the massive destruction it left, it does not go into any extra detail that would help readers understand the excitement and relief the article is trying to portray. The two things that really make this story newsworthy are the proximity and impact it has towards its readers. People who live in the Omaha Metro were greatly affected by the flood, so hearing of any accomplishments to recover from it allows hope to be redeemed. Nationally, it may not be the biggest story right now though, since it does only matter to the people in the area. The point of the story also impacts many people, around 7,000 people to be exact. The water plant reopening makes it so people who get water from the Plattsmouth Water Plant no longer have to closely watch how much water they use because it is back to functioning at a regular pace. It’s something that people would need to hear about in order to know whether or not they need to continue extreme conservation or not.