First Part of a Multimillion-Dollar System

With only 241 square miles, Sarpy County is Nebraska’s smallest county but has grown more than 20% from 2010 to 2020 and remains one of the fastest-growing areas in the state. The southern part of the county is ideal for residential and commercial development, but there is a challenge — a hydrologic ridgeline.

The natural ridgeline cuts across the county from east to west, dividing it into developed northern and rural southern sections. Below the ridge, there lacks public wastewater infrastructure, which has hindered development and stifled growth for decades. North of the ridgeline, water flows to the Papillion Creek and a sewer system sends wastewater north to Omaha’s treatment facilities. South of it, the land drains to the Platte River and there’s no sewer system to serve potential businesses or developments.

The Southern Sarpy Wastewater System is the first step in implementing a wastewater system in southern Sarpy County. The first $130-million phase delivered 19 miles of sewer lines and 3 lift stations that use gravity to pull the flow from north to south for the Springfield Creek and Zwiebel Creek areas. Approximately 17 miles of dual force mains deliver wastewater from the Springfield basin east to the Papillion Water Resource Recovery Facility. Additionally, it includes cooling water conveyance from data centers to an equalization lagoon and a controlled discharge cooling water equalization lagoon. 

The HDR team reduced impacts on constituents, the environment and the community by working around existing structures, consulting with tribes and agencies, and limiting disturbances to environmental and cultural resources. The team overcame significant challenges. They installed deep interceptor sewers through challenging soil and high groundwater. To overcome this, they chose soil mixing and lift stations with deep secant piles. Perhaps most importantly, they found common ground between state agencies, the county, five cities, and private and commercial landowners. 

The new Southern Sarpy Wastewater System offers a blueprint for responsible development across the country. It provides the communities, county and state with additional tax revenues and creates development opportunities for a community on the precipice of booming growth.