District will make wastewater collection system improvements
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, DEC. 17, 2024 - The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $14 million in financial assistance to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District for upgrades to its collection system. The funding is expected to cover the project’s estimated total cost and the project should be completed by April 2026.
As part of its Public Inflow and Infiltration Reduction Program, the district will use the funding to rehabilitate the existing collection system throughout its entire service area. This program is part of the district’s ongoing effort to reduce combined sewer overflow and sanitary sewer overflow occurrences and volumes by reducing the amount of inflow and infiltration into its sanitary and combined systems.
Funding for the project consists of a $13 million loan and a $1 million grant, both through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The funding provided by the department is estimated to save the district’s ratepayers $1 million in principal and approximately $4.4 million in interest over the loan’s 20-year term.
“An important part of our job is making sure Missouri communities can plan and fund infrastructure improvements, and that includes upgrades to the drinking water and wastewater treatment systems that are crucial to every community’s health and vitality,” said Missouri Governor Mike Parson.
“Grants and low-interest loans through the State Revolving Fund help Missouri communities with water and 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. “Projects like this help protect public health and the environment, which improves the quality of life for Missourians.”
The 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 upgrades in treatment system security, efficiency and conservation. Communities that borrow from the fund benefit from the below-market interest rate and from assistance provided throughout their project by 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/env/wpp/srf/index.html.