About Mead
Mead is a village in Saunders County, in eastern Nebraska. The population was 617 at the 2020 census, up from 569 in 2010. The village covers about 0.62 square miles and sits at an elevation of roughly 1,200 feet. Wahoo lies about seven miles west and Yutan about four miles east.
History
The town was platted in 1877 as Saunders when the railroad arrived, and was renamed Mead in 1880, likely for a Union Pacific railroad official. The post office opened in 1880. Mead was originally built up chiefly by Swedes.
The Nebraska Ordnance Plant
About half a mile south of Mead the federal government built the Nebraska Ordnance Plant, which extended across 17,250 acres. It loaded bombs, boosters and shells from 1942 to 1945 and was reactivated from 1950 to 1956. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln later acquired roughly 10,200 acres for an agricultural research centre. Testing in the 1980s found soil and groundwater contamination with RDX and TCE, and the site was added to the National Priorities List on 30 August 1990. Groundwater treatment plants have operated since 1997.
The ethanol plant
E3 Biofuels began operating an ethanol plant near Mead in 2007 and went bankrupt later that year. AltEn reopened the facility, and it closed in February 2021. AltEn used pesticide-treated seed as feedstock. Testing found the neonicotinoid clothianidin in its wastewater lagoons, and state regulators issued an emergency order on 8 February 2021.
Visitor & Travel Categories
Business & Economic Categories
Mead was originally platted as “Saunders” in 1877 when rail service arrived, and was renamed in 1880, likely for a Union Pacific railroad official. It was built up chiefly by Swedish settlers.
Mead, population 617 in 2020, gained national attention as the site of the E3 Biofuels ethanol plant, an ambitious “closed loop” biogas facility that opened in 2007 but failed within a few years; the site later operated as an AltEn plant before closing in February 2021, leaving behind soil contaminated with neonicotinoid pesticide residue that remains a significant environmental story for the community.
Navigate & Explore Mead
Get directions: search "Mead Nebraska" in Waze or Google Maps
Road Conditions: Nebraska 511 — 511.nebraska.gov
Saunders County Cameras: View Saunders County cameras