City will make wastewater system improvements
JEFFERSON CITY, MO, SEPT. 24, 2025 – The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $3.7 million in financial assistance to the city of Appleton City for upgrades to its wastewater treatment and collection system. The funding will cover the entire cost of the project, which is expected to be completed by March 2026.
The improvements will advance the treatment capabilities of the system’s lagoons, provide operators more flow control, increase retention time, improve the settling process and reduce inflow and infiltration. The project will extend the wastewater system’s life and efficiency so that it can continue to serve the city well into the future.
Project funding consists of a $1.49 million loan and a $2.2 million grant through the department’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The department’s funding is estimated to save the city’s ratepayers more than $2 million in principal and approximately $580,000 in interest over the loan’s 20-year term.
“MoDNR provides crucial financing and technical assistance to help communities build public infrastructure that protects public health and the environment,” said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Department of Natural Resources. “Investing in the wellbeing of Missouri’s infrastructure is a catalyst to economic growth and prosperity.”
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.