Sarpy County wastewater plant to go south of Springfield

(WOWT)
Published: Sep. 23, 2019 at 1:53 PM CDT
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The Sarpy County and Sarpy Cities Wastewater Agency will build a permanent wastewater treatment plant south of Springfield.

The plant is a key step in creating the Unified Southern Sarpy Wastewater System, which will bring critical sanitary sewer infrastructure to the southern portion of the county.

Don Kelly, chairman of the Wastewater Agency, said officials studied various options, including building an interim facility.

“It made a lot of sense to come up with an engineering solution that moved the wastewater to its eventual end location – rather than building temporary treatment sites along the way,” Kelly said.

Resident feedback also was taken into consideration.

“The citizens spoke and we listened,” Kelly said. “Government exists to service the citizens, not make their lives more difficult. This is simply good public policy.”

The plant will enable future development in southern Sarpy County by treating wastewater from the Buffalo Creek, Springfield Creek and Zwiebel Creek basins.

The exact location for the treatment plant has not been determined at this time.

On Wednesday, the Sarpy County and Cities Wastewater Agency is poised to make another important decision. The agency board will consider an interlocal agreement that spells out how the agency will pay for the new wastewater infrastructure, including the use of PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) funds from the Omaha Public Power District.

In addition to OPPD PILOT funds, the system will be paid for with fees associated with growth in southern Sarpy County.

No property tax dollars will be used to fund the project, according to a current base case financial scenario.

The system will be built in phases over the next 20 to 50 years and is estimated to cost $220 million. Phase 1, which includes building the treatment plant south of Springfield, is expected to cost $40 million.

For more information about the Unified Southern Sarpy Wastewater System and the Agency’s work to date, visit

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