Project Announced for Missouri River Treatment Plant

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District has announced the rehabilitation and expansion of the Missouri River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Maryland Heights, Mo., which is about 20 mi. from downtown St. Louis.

No cost has been announced because the project is still in design, says Lance Lecomb, an MSD spokesman.

Construction is expected to begin in summer 2009 and the program will be complete by the end of 2012.

Project elements include replacing existing digester covers, gas mixing systems, boilers, digested sludge pumps, digested piping and appurtenances.

The expansion, designed to treat up to 80 million gallons a day, will be constructed adjacent to the existing plan and will provide a new activated sludge process, new final clarifiers, UV disinfection, a sludge pump station and other key elements.

St. Louis-based Kwame Building Group Inc. was named as the construction manager. Kwame’s engineering partner is Omaha-based HDR, and the designer is Overland Park, Kan.-based Black & Veatch Corp.

16 Ready-to-Go Projects Identified in Illinois

American Rivers, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental advocacy organization, has identified 16 ready-to-go projects in Illinois with a value of more than $115 million that would impact the economy and improve the environment.

In Chicago, the examples include new parks on the South Side to improve stormwater management, installing green or “living” roofs, and installing 50 permeable alleys to reduce combined sewer overflows and basement flooding.

One of the highlights on the Illinois list is the Churchill Woods dam removal and restoration project on the East Branch of the DuPage River. Contractors are needed to remove the dam, regrade the stream, complete sediment and erosion control and restore wetlands. Other highlights include efforts in Havana and in Will County to restore wetlands and floodplains to reduce flood damages.

“Clean water is our nation’s most vital resource, but our water infrastructure is outdated and crumbling, unable to cope with our drinking water, wastewater, and flood protection needs,” says Betsy Otto, vice president of strategic partnerships for American Rivers.

An economic analysis conducted by the Chicago-based Alliance for Water Efficiency estimates that economic output per million dollars of investment in water efficiency programs is between $2.5 and $2.8 million. It estimates that a direct investment of $10 billion in water efficiency programs can boost U.S. employment by 150,000 to 220,000 jobs.

The American Society of Civil Engineers graded both wastewater and drinking water systems a D-, the lowest ratings of any infrastructure category. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates capital funding needs of at least $500 billion for water and wastewater systems. On top of that, climate change is causing more floods, droughts and waterborne diseases, further taxing communities’ ability to respond.