City will make wastewater treatment system improvements
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 23, 2025 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $1.79 million to the city of Queen City for upgrades to its wastewater treatment system. The project is estimated to total $2.5 million and the city expects to complete it by April 2027.
The improvements include replacing influent, effluent and transfer structures, and other upgrades that will allow the system to consistently meet effluent limits and enable the city to maintain compliance with its operating permit. The changes will also extend the wastewater system’s life and efficiency so that it can continue serving the city well into the future.
Funding for the project consists of a $717,000 low-interest loan, a $1 million grant through MoDNR’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund and a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development. MoDNR estimates that its funding will save the city’s ratepayers more than $1 million in principal and approximately $327,000 in interest over the loan’s 20-year term.
“Funding from Missouri’s State Revolving Fund positively affects our communities, helping them grow and develop for years to come,” said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Department of Natural Resources.
The department’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund finances improvements to wastewater treatment facilities, sewer collection system rehabilitation and extensions, and combined sewer overflow corrections. The fund also finances security, efficiency and conservation measures. Communities that borrow from the fund benefit from the below-market interest rate and from a department project manager’s assistance throughout the project.
The department is committed to assisting Missouri communities with water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects. Through its Financial Assistance Center, the department provides funding opportunities for qualified communities with water quality, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure needs. This project will be funded wholly or in part with monies received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on wastewater and drinking water funding opportunities, visit dnr.mo.gov/water/what-were-doing/state-revolving-fund-srf.