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Merrick County supervisors will discuss Grand Island's recent pollution of the Wood River and Platte River during a regular business meeting Tuesday.
"I don't think we should be taking water like that into our rivers and streams," said Merrick County board Chairman Herman Schuett. "It could pollute our groundwater, possibly, and nobody likes to see that when they have fish there that are dead. It just makes a bad image."
Merrick County is downstream of Grand Island.
Grand Island's wastewater treatment plant and JBS Swift & Co. meatpacking plant last week were both issued their fifth wastewater discharge permit violation since August 2007 by the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ.)
The most recent violation in the string occurred March 28 and is being blamed for one of the largest human-induced fish kills in Nebraska in the last 15 years.
Schuett said Merrick County residents who live downstream of Grand Island are concerned and have contacted elected representatives for help.
The primary worry is the polluted river water would saturate the area and leach into the groundwater, he said.
Schuett wasn't sure what power Merrick County alone could impose over Grand Island's wastewater treatment plant, but believes DEQ could force the city to not discharge contaminated water into the stream.
"We want to be good neighbors, but nevertheless we don't want to take anything that is hazardous," Schuett said.
"We have a lot to be thankful for here with the pure water we do have, but we kind of want to maintain that," Schuett said.
The Merrick County discussion is scheduled to begin at 10:50 a.m. during the supervisors' regular board meeting on the third floor of the Merrick County Courthouse in Central City.
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