When Schemmer was retained by the City of Omaha to serve as the Project Engineer to design a solution for the severely degraded sewage channels at the Missouri River Water Resource Recovery Facility, project manager Matt Hubel, PE, CPSWQ, LEED AP BD+C, began with a technical memo and cost analysis to determine the most effective and cost-efficient solution.
Matt Hubel, PE, CPSWQ, LEED AP BD+C Professional Civil Engineer and Schemmer Shareholder
After analyzing a variety of feasible rehabilitation options and making recommendations to the City, the decision was made to construct a structural mortar lining within the channels. This is an innovative rehabilitation technique that had yet to be attempted in a situation like this.
When Hubel finished design and saw the project through completion of construction, he set out to write a white paper on this unique and challenging maintenance project. The white paper, titled "Utilizing Innovative Tactics and Trenchless Technology to Restore Critical Infrastructure," can be downloaded here.
Channels before and after lining.
Matt Hubel, PE, CPSWQ, LEED AP BD+C
"It’s been an honor to work with the City of Omaha on this project. The success of the project is a direct result of close coordination and open communication between the City, Schemmer, rehabilitation system manufacturer and the Contractor. It was a great team to be a part of. Critical, challenging projects like this are what get me excited and out of bed in the mornings," says Hubel.
Omaha Engineering Firm Awarded Water & Wastes Digest Top Project for 2019
In January 2019, the project received an ACEC Nebraska Merit Award for its use of innovative design and technology. But the accolades didn't stop there. His white paper was published in Tunnels and Tunnelling magazine, the official publication of the Tunnelling Association of Canada, North American Edition, June-July 2019.
And now, the project has been selected as a Water & Wastes Digest Top Project for 2019. There will be a dinner and awards event held in conjunction with the Water Environment Federation's Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) on September 23 in Chicago.
