Innovative Solutions to Overcome a Potential Emergency

For over the last decade, the City of Omaha, along with HDR, has been proactively seeking solutions for its aging sanitary sewer infrastructure. We have been identifying and prioritizing rehabilitation and replacement projects, identifying construction and permitting constraints, and completing necessary repairs on the interceptor sewers. Additionally, we have been assisting with prioritizing project needs for the Papillion Creek Interceptor.

Constructed in the 1970s, the Papillion Creek Interceptor is a nearly 7-mile pipeline that transports sanitary sewage from Douglas and Sarpy Counties to the Papillion Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility. The 120-inch pipeline is a vital part of Omaha and Bellevue’s treatment system, with an average flow range from 40 to 50 million gallons per day (MGD).

In 2024, while performing a site visit to replace stormwater penetrations through the interceptor, the team discovered something shocking: an entire manhole structure was missing.  

This emergency forced the team to field-design repairs, creating a bypass pumping system and establishing procedures for exceeding the maximum temporary pump system throughput. They also created a new project to integrate with an existing, larger interceptor design, thus simplifying future access.

The team collaborated with the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District and the City of Bellevue to promptly post road and trail closures. They worked with the Nebraska Department of Transportation to organize temporary lane restrictions on Capehart Road. Finally, they collaborated with Offutt Air Force Base to verify awareness of all construction work around the base, limiting the risk of concern. Perhaps most challenging was coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to navigate the levee concerns and repair the project while being cognizant of the cost of repairs.

At the end of construction, the project team restored the site with native grass seed mixtures and reopened the biking trail to the public. Trail benches and signage were restored to original condition, and portions of the newly repaired trail blended seamlessly into the old trail.