Release Date

City will make extensive wastewater treatment system improvements

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 12 , 2022 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $2.6 million in financial assistance to the city of Leeton for upgrades to its wastewater treatment system. The project is expected to be completed by August 2023.

This project includes adding a special system to the city's existing wastewater treatment lagoon to meet future ammonia limits. The work also includes the installation of a surface aeration system in the lagoon to help reduce influent biochemical oxygen demand to a manageable level. An ultraviolet light treatment system will also be added to meet future E. coli bacteria limits. Other repairs and improvements will also be made to improve the overall function of Leeton’s wastewater treatment system. 

The proposed project will allow the city’s wastewater treatment facility to meet upcoming limits that the current lagoon infrastructure cannot achieve on its own. This will help the facility maintain compliance with permit limits, as well as improve water quality in the receiving stream.

The project’s funding consists of a $1.3 million loan and a $1.3 million grant through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The funding provided by the department is estimated to save the city’s ratepayers more than $1.3 million in principal and approximately $419,000 in interest over the loan’s 20-year term. 

“From small towns to large cities, one thing every community has in common is the need for crucial infrastructure to continue meeting the community’s needs,” said Governor Mike Parson. “We make it a priority to help Missouri communities plan and complete water and wastewater treatment system maintenance and improvement projects that will keep those systems functioning into the future.”

“Grants and low-interest loans through the State Revolving Fund help Missouri communities fund water and wastewater treatment system projects that they might not have been able to undertake otherwise,” said Dru Buntin, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. 

The Clean Water State Revolving Fund finances improvements to wastewater treatment facilities, sewer collection systems rehabilitation and extensions, combined sewer overflow corrections, as well as security, efficiency and conservation measures. Communities who borrow from the fund benefit from the below-market interest rate and from assistance provided throughout their project from a department project manager. 

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/business-industry-other-entities/financial-opportunities/financial-assistance-center.
 

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