CITY NOW HAS MASTER WATER PLAN; MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN WORK ANTICIPATED

With the purchase last year of Cape Girardeau's water system from Union Electric, one of the first goals of the city administration was to complete a 20-year water master plan.

That plan, now complete, calls for improvements at the Cape Rock water plant and expansion of either the Cape Rock or Ramsey Branch plants at a cost of $10 million to $11.5 million.

Officials from Black and Veatch, the engineering firm that completed the study, said the improvements would meet the city's water system needs through 2010.

City Engineer J. Kensey Russell said the city already is planning some of the work improvements to the Cape Rock plant that will bring the city in compliance with new clean-water regulations handed down by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Missouri Department of Revenue.

"There are certain improvements to meet the new regulations, and as long as we have the Cape Rock plant we will have to do those," Russell said.

The cost of those improvements will be $815,000, and include the addition of water filters at the plant, expansion of the facility's clearwell and improvements to the process of adding chemicals to the water.

Other requirements could include replacement of instrumentation with more-modern and sensitive equipment to measure water purity.

Russell said the city is yet to determine how that work will be financed, which means funding the overall improvements recommended by Black and Veatch is an even bigger question.

"I'm sure that there is some of that cost that is built into the water rates simply because you know you have to make some improvements and replacements to account for the age of the system and wear to it," he said. "It's possible we might need some additional financing.

"I don't know if that will come through grants, bonds or whatever."

Despite the imposing cost of the water system improvements, Russell said it's important that the city plan for the work well in advance of increased demands on the system.

The master plan calls for expansion of the main water lines that run from both water plants, and the addition of water mains in areas of the city where population is likely to develop in the next 15-20 years.

Black and Veatch estimated the city's population in 2010 will be 45,725. If that prediction is correct, Russell said, the city will need to plan for added demands on the water system.

"With all of the infrastructure that's needed, there is a pretty good lead time in trying to do design work, trying to acquire property that may be necessary, and then the actual construction itself," he said.

Russell said that's why the city has developed master streets, sewers and storm-water plans as well. "Rather than get caught in a crisis situation, we're trying to use these master plans as a tool for advance planning to bring these projects into the budget."

The master water plan calls for expansion of either the Cape Rock plant, which treats water pulled from the Mississippi River, or the Ramsey Branch plant, which treats ground water for distribution throughout the city.

The tab for recommended improvements to the Ramsey Branch plant, together with the regulatory requirements at the Cape Rock plant and replacement of galvanized water lines in the city, would be about $11.5 million.

If the Cape Rock plant was expanded in a similar way, including the regulatory mandates and the waterline replacement program, the bill would come to about $10.2 million.

Russell said it's difficult to say which option the city will choose.

"I think we're going to have to sit down and thoroughly understand that plan, and then look at some of the intangible things that will help dictate which plan to choose," he said.

Replacement of galvanized lines in the system would serve two purposes: increase water flow capacity to accommodate what's needed for adequate fire protection; and replace what typically is a weak link in water distribution.

Russell said there will be other benefits to the citizens as the city accomplishes the plan's goals.

"Certainly in some areas of town, residents are going to see a more consistent pressure," he said. "In other places, they may benefit from the fire protection.

"The developmental mains in the plan will enable the city to accommodate growth, and as that growth brings customers on to the system, hopefully, we'll be able to maintain a reasonable cost to everybody by sharing those costs."