If you live east of 72nd Street in Omaha, orange construction barricades soon could be going up in a neighborhood near you.
Omaha's massive sewer overhaul has been planned for years. Now, work on the $1.6 billion program to meet federal clean water requirements is getting started in earnest.
Drivers in eastern Omaha have received a preview in recent months, with Cuming Street closed at various points between 20th and 27th Streets as crews tear up the street to overhaul sewers along the major thoroughfare.
With work on Cuming scheduled to wrap up in mid-November, crews will be moving into residential areas.
Through 2024, eastern Omaha residents will contend with disruptions in their neighborhoods as new sewer lines are installed. In addition to the sewer separation projects that are planned, many more are being studied or are in the early planning stages.
In total, 77 miles of city streets could be torn up to replace sewer lines or install new storm sewers, said Marty Grate, the city's environmental services director.
Repairs will be made along an additional 85 miles of city streets, although those streets most likely will not be torn up, he said.
The project calls for sewer separation projects in dozens of eastern Omaha neighborhoods, two new treatment plants and a 5.4-mile tunnel along the Missouri River.
It also includes construction of a 1.5-mile storm sewer pipeline designed to send storm water from northeast Omaha sewers to the river.
But what Omaha residents are likely to notice most is the impact that sewer construction will have on their neighborhoods.
In some cases, streets will be torn up so that new sewers can be installed. Then, after work in the area is completed, the city will repave the streets.
Grate said that other than the Cuming Street project, the city is largely limiting future work to residential areas to minimize the disruption for businesses in high-traffic areas. Sewers will not be separated under most major streets or downtown.
Instead, sewage and storm water from combined sewers will flow into the new tunnel along the river, where it will be held until it can be treated at the new treatment plant south of downtown.
The city plans to issue $30 million in sewer construction bonds later this year. An additional $150 million in sewer bonds will be issued by the end of 2011.
“This will be a long-term project which will also generate jobs for our community,” particularly in north and eastern Omaha, said a spokesman for Mayor Jim Suttle.
People from across the Omaha area will pay higher sewer use fees to help pay for the work.
The project, mandated by the federal Clean Water Act, is designed to ensure that less raw sewage is dumped into local streams and rivers. About 770 cities nationwide must reduce sewer system overflows.
After the work is done, Grate said, eastern Omaha residents will see fewer sewer backups in their basements.
The region also will benefit because the new sewer system will improve water quality in the Missouri River and downstream, Grate said.
The city's problem stems from its combined sewer system, which carries sewage as well as storm water.
When it rains one-tenth of an inch or more, the system can get overwhelmed. Contaminated water then dumps into the Missouri River and Papillion Creek.
The city primarily has combined sewers east of 72nd Street. The lines are separated in western parts of the city.
Grate said parts of the sewer system in eastern Omaha were constructed in the late 1800s. As Omaha grew, however, it became increasingly difficult for the sewer system to handle additional usage as well as heavy rainfalls.
Last month, the city finalized Omaha's plan to upgrade its sewer system and submitted it to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality. Grate said he expects the plan to be approved without major changes.
Grate said most of the sewer separation work will be done between the spring and fall each year. While the work is being done, residents on affected streets may at certain times have to park elsewhere and walk to their homes.
The amount of disruption will vary. In some cases, crews may be able to work in alleys or in one lane of a street, Grate said.
The city will notify affected neighborhoods before any work starts. Residents may receive door-hangers alerting them to a public meeting and offering suggestions on how to cope with the construction. A telephone hot line also has been set up to answer questions.
“We will try to make contact with the homeowners,” Grate said. “You'll have parking issues, you'll have access issues. But we'll let them know ‘Here's what you can expect,' ‘Here's the timelines.' ”
Contact the writer:
444-3100, maggie.obrien@owh.com
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