In an effort to meet the ever-growing needs of St. Charles area residents and business owners, the nearly 50-year-old St. Charles Missouri River Wastewater Treatment Facility will undergo a major expansion effort beginning in November 2010.  According to 20-year population projections, the existing plant’s hydraulic capacity will be insufficient to handle sewage produced from residential and commercial users.  The expansion will enable the plant to increase daily flow capacity by 51 percent.
    
The project will also incorporate an effort to implement new technology at the facility.  Part of the expansion involves the installation of sophisticated new equipment for ultraviolet (UV) disinfection.  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Missouri Department of Natural Resources require wastewater facilities to implement more rigorous methods for removing wastewater bacteria.  Overall, the enhanced treatment process will be more energy efficient, and the installation of a new UV disinfection system will eliminate the discharge of unwanted chlorine by-products.
    
This capital upgrade will address both economic and regulatory concerns facing the greater St. Charles community.  According to Mayor Patti York, this $18M construction project not only supports the city and its stakeholders, but also supports economic renewal throughout the region. 
   
 “This plant enhancement represents a significant investment in the city’s infrastructure, ensuring consistent services for our residents, businesses and institutions,” said Mayor York.  “In addition, we’re striving to achieve economic growth in the metropolitan corridor along the Missouri River.”  York also underscored the importance of the project from the perspective of potential developers.  “A community with a need to expand its wastewater systems to accommodate current and future growth is a community paving the way for on-going economic promise, as we did some 50 years ago.”

The existing average daily flow is 5.0 million gallons per day and will soon be increased to an average flow of 7.54 million gallons per day.  The peak flow is presently 12.5 million gallons per day and will be designed to handle 24.4 million gallons per day.  The modifications will provide cost-effective and technically-reliable processes. The capital upgrade cost is approximately $18,058,000, and is funded by the recent sewer rate increase.

The treatment facility handles the sewage flow for the southern and eastern portions of the city of St. Charles.  Originally constructed in 1963, the facility was placed in service the following year when the city’s population was 21,189 (based on 1960 Census data).  Comparatively, the city’s current population of 68,000 has more than tripled since the facility first went online.  The plant – located at 2500 North Main Street – was previously modified in 1986 and 1991. 

The Missouri Wastewater Treatment Facility is the location that treats approximately 40 percent of the city’s total wastewater generated.  The Mississippi facility treats the remaining 60 percent and is scheduled for upgrade in 2011.

The city contracted with Environmental Management Corporation (EMC) of O’Fallon, MO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Water Enterprises.  EMC has partnered with the city to provide project management services at the plant for the past 27 years.  Other team members included in the upcoming upgrade are HDR of St. Charles as the design engineer, and Goodwin Brothers Construction of Crystal City, MO, as the general contractor.  The project is scheduled to start in November 2010 and be completed by May 2012, depending on weather conditions. 

For more information on this project, contact Debra Aylsworth, St. Charles Public Works Director, at (636) 949-3241, or Jim Solari, Program Manager, Environmental Management Corporation, at (314) 578-9010.