Cape Girardeau holds public hearing on wastewater plant

Cape Girardeau officials made their first public pitch Wednesday night to convince city voters that their plan to pay for a new $62 million wastewater treatment plant and $10 million in system improvements is the best one.

A handful of people attended the public hearing at the city's Public Works Department, some of whom took a bus tour to the existing 50-year-old plant and the proposed site of a new one.

Voters will be asked April 5 to weigh in on two separate ballot issues to pay for a new plant: a $72 million bond issue to pay for construction and improvements as well as an extension of the quarter-cent capital improvement sales tax to help repay the bonds.

But the sales tax money won't be enough to pay the bonds. That will require rate increases.

During one of three presentations, those who attended the hearing were given specifics. If both ballot measures are passed, city sewer rates will be increased by about $22 a month for the average user, said Mary West of Jacobs Engineering, which is the plant designer. Currently, the average user pays about $13 a month.

But if the measures fail at the ballot box, rates will go up by about 33 percent more than that, because city officials say they have to build a new plant with or without voter approval. The existing wastewater treatment plant operates over capacity and has been in violation of state and federal standards since 2009. During peak usage times, after heavy rains, untreated sewage is dumped into the Mississippi River, which happens about 30 to 40 times a year.

The state has made its standards more stringent and each time that happens now is a violation. City leaders have committed to the state that it will have a new plant built by 2014 as part of a compliance schedule.

"All of these factors dictate that the time has come that we've got to move forward to build this for the citizens and the city," said Mayor Harry Rediger. "The existing plant is at capacity, out of compliance and we're in the penalty phase right now."

The city has paid a civil penalty of $15,000 up front and has built a $111,000 commercial recycling component to its transfer station to avoid further penalties.

During a presentation at the hearing Wednesday, project manager P.K. Mathai of Jacobs Engineering said a new plant would be designed to handle an average flow of 11 million gallons per day and a peak capacity of 50 million gallons a day. A new plant is projected to handle wastewater for at least 20 years with the actual structure expected to last at least 50 years, with room for expansion.

"The existing plant is not capable of meeting new limits imposed by the state," Mathai said.

Public Works director Tim Gramling said the construction cost is estimated at about $62 million, including site work estimated at $3.5 million, sewer extensions and lines at $7.78 million, a $2 million pump station, $17.5 million in tanks and $16 million for a biosolids facilities and $2 million for an administrative building.

The extra $10 million would be to take into account what the actual bid comes in at and to pay for finding "holes and cracks" in the city's 225 miles of sewer lines.

The existing wastewater treatment plant, built in 1962, is at 429 Cooper St. The proposed new plant would be built on 11 acres near the public works building at 2007 Southern Expressway.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

2007 Southern Expressway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

429 Cooper, Cape Girardeau, Mo.