Environmental Quality

Environmental Quality Control Programs

Flood Control – This program maintains the 13 miles of levee and related storm water pumping stations to provide flood protection along the Missouri River.

Solid Waste Management – The focus of this program is the administration of the contracts for residential collection of garbage, recyclables and yard waste and the operation of the Solid Waste Hotline 444-5238.  For more information go to: http://www.wasteline.org/

Compost Operations – This program receives about 35,000 tons of residential yard waste collected by the City’s contractor from April through November each year.  The yard waste is processed into a compost product, which is marketed as OmaGro.  For more information go to: http://www.omagro.com/

Sewer Use Fee Administration - This program administers monthly billings in accordance with Omaha’s sewer use fee ordinance.  This includes hand billing bulk and some commercial customers and providing M.U.D. with updated billing information.  It also includes preparing and administering wastewater service agreements and special billing resolutions.

Industrial Wastewater Monitoring - This program provides for the inspection and monitoring of commercial and industrial dischargers to the sanitary sewer system to gather samples and information to establish equitable user charges and to insure that discharges comply with the requirements of Chapter 31 of the municipal code.

Sludge Management – Under this program the 85,000 cubic yards of sewage sludge Omaha generates each year is delivered area farms where is beneficially land applied in accordance with EPA regulations as fertilizer and soil amendment.

Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows  – This program oversees the City’s efforts to comply with State issued permits that require management of storm water and discharges from combined sewers to reduce pollution impacts on area lakes, streams and rivers.  This includes public education, pollution prevention and erosion control.  For more information on the Stormwater program, go to: www.omahastormwater.org.  For more information on the CSO program, go to: http://www.omahacso.com/.

Interceptor Maintenance – The interceptor collection system consists of force main and gravity combined sewer trunk lines that flow to the City’s two treatment plants. Maintenance and repair is provided for pump stations, diversion gates and grit removal facilities.

Laboratory Services – This section performs laboratory testing on wastewater samples to provide process control information for treatment plant operations and to meet state requirements for monitoring pollutant concentrations in discharges to the river. Samples from industrial dischargers are also analyzed to allow equitable assessment of user charges and to determine industrial compliance with discharge limits.

Air Quality Control – This program has been delegated authority from EPA for the implementation of federal air emission regulations in the Omaha area.  This program plays a role in regulating asbestos removal and enforces the local air regulations in Chapter 41 of the municipal code.  For more information, please click through to the Air Quality Control page.

Household Hazardous Waste – Beginning in 2004, the Quality Control Division will be operating a facility that will accept hazardous wastes from household in the Douglas-Sarpy County region.  Wastes dropped of by residents will be sorted and reused, recycled or disposed of properly through a licensed hazardous waste disposal contractor. See also: http://www.underthesink.org/.