District will improve wastewater collection and treatment systems
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, SEPT. 27, 2023 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded a total of $37.8 million in financial assistance to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District for upgrades to its wastewater collection and treatment systems. Collection system improvements are estimated to total $11 million and be completed by May 2025, while the treatment system upgrades are estimated at a total of $33.1 million and should be completed by June 2025.
Improvements to the district’s collection system will be made under the Public Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Program, designed to rehabilitate existing collection systems throughout the entire district’s service area. Funded by the department and administered by the sewer district, this program is part of an ongoing effort to reduce sewer overflow by reducing the amount of groundwater and stormwater that flow into the district’s sewer systems.
Funding for the collection system project includes an $8.5 million loan and a $1.5 million grant through the department’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The district will provide $1 million in local funds to complete the project. The department-provided funding is estimated to save district customers $1.5 million in principal and approximately $2.8 million in interest over the loan’s 20-year term.
The extensive treatment system improvement project will include construction of a new building and support systems to house a network of five new filtration screens and new flow control gates. The project also includes updates to the pretreatment process controls.
Funding for the treatment system project consists of a $25.8 million loan and a $2 million grant through the department’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The district will provide $5.3 million in local funds to complete the project. The department-provided funding is estimated to save the district’s ratepayers $2 million in principal and approximately $9.3 million in interest over the loan’s 20-year term.
“Water and wastewater systems are essential infrastructures that support every community’s health and economic vitality, but maintaining these systems can become a real challenge, even for the largest systems,” said Governor Mike Parson. “As part of our infrastructure priorities, we want to help communities of all sizes to afford these system improvements that will help Missouri’s communities continue to grow and find success now and into the future.”
“The Clean Water State Revolving Fund helps Missouri communities pay for wastewater treatment system improvements that they might not have been able to undertake otherwise,” said Dru Buntin, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “We are here to help any community plan and fund infrastructure improvements that not only protect public and environmental health, but help improve the quality of life for Missourians.”
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund finances improvements to wastewater treatment facilities, sewer collection systems rehabilitation and extensions, combined sewer overflow corrections, and 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.