he heavy rains we've experienced recently in the Omaha area have brought an on-going sewage and storm water problem to light. The current system works fine during dry weather but when we receive more than a tenth of an inch of rain, raw sewage and storm water bypasses the city's treatment plant and is washed directly into the Missouri River and Papillion Creek.

The problem occurs about 50 times a year, dumping an annual average of 3 billion gallons of sewage and storm water into the river.

Federal regulations require that Omaha cut down on the amount of untreated sewage going into these waterways. Teams of engineers and residents have been meeting to address the problem.

One solution is to build an 8-mile long tunnel along the Missouri River that would store the overflow until it could be processed in the treatment plant. The tunnel is just one of several potential solutions being explored as part of a $24.7 million study on the problem. 

It would be buried about 200 feet deep with an estimated cost of $500 million to $3 billion. If built, the tunnel would extend from I-680 south to L Street. 

Another option would be to separate the city's combined sewer lines, which carry both sewage and storm water. Specialized underground treatment facilities could also be constructed that would trap solid waste and quickly treat storm water.

Whichever solution is endorsed by the study group, the city must complete its preliminary plan in October. They will then have two years to finalize it and 14 years to implement the plan.

Separating the 51 miles of combined sewer lines in the city would be a huge undertaking and the tunnel approach wouldn't necessarily alleviate all of the overflow problems.

The cost is likely to be passed on to consumers. The average residential customer now pays $12 a month. That fee could increase to between $30 and $50 a month over the next 10 years.