CAPE TO SPEND $27 MILLION TO IMPROVE SEWERS

Cape Girardeau has pushed ahead with sewer improvements designed to keep raw sewage from emptying into Cape LaCroix Creek and backing into basements during heavy rains.

The city will spend $27 million to construct new trunk sewers and separate storm and sanitary sewers in the older parts of town. All the improvements could be completed by early 1999.

"In some cases we will be building new storm sewer lines and in some cases new sanitary sewer lines," said John Bennett, who is overseeing the sewer improvements as resident engineer for the Sverdrup engineering firm.

Currently, sewer pipes in the older sections of the city handle both sewage and storm water.

Mayor Al Spradling III said: "The biggest benefit is that the sanitary sewers will not be overflowing into streams. They will not hopefully be backing up into basements."

The sewer improvements also will let the city comply with the federal clean water law.

"Nobody likes raw sewage floating down a creek," Spradling said. "That is horrendous."

Spradling said sewer work often goes unnoticed by the public. But that won't happen this time because streets and yards will have to be torn up to get to existing sewer lines, he pointed out.

Spradling said the inconvenience is a small price to pay for progress. "The old part of town certainly needs to have this renovation take place."

Two years ago voters extended a capital improvement sales tax to fund the improvements.

The work is being done in two phases: The first phase will cost about $10.8 million; the second almost $17 million.

The city will hold a public meeting at 7 tonight at City Hall to outline plans for the second phase of sewer improvements. The second phase involves six sewer projects in the northeast and eastern parts of the city.

Some of the work involves construction of new sewer lines in downtown Cape Girardeau.

City officials hope to open bids for the first of the phase-two projects -- sewer separation work in the Fort D area -- in July.

Replacement of four sewage pumping stations along the Mississippi River also is a key part of the phase-two work, Bennett said.

As to the first phase of improvements, construction should be completed by May on a new, 54-inch sewer line to the wastewater treatment plant in the area of Third and Cooper streets. The new line will replace a 36-inch line.

This will improve sewer capacity and eliminate the sewer overflows that occur, officials said.

Construction could begin this spring on sewer separations in the College and Henderson watershed.