Jackson approves $1.2 million for wastewater treatment engineering work

The City of Jackson took a major step this week toward addressing its aging wastewater system, an upgrade that will cost millions.

Jackson's Board of Aldermen approved $1.242 million in engineering services Monday, with Alderman Larry Cunningham the only nay vote.

Horner & Shifrin of St. Louis will provide the professional engineering services for the project, according to city documents.

The $1.2 million in design fees will be paid out of the city's sewer surplus fund, which is money set aside for funding upcoming wastewater improvement projects, said Rodney Bollinger, administrative services director, by email Wednesday.

The total cost for the project will be approximately $16.8 million, but at the end of the work, the city's wastewater treatment system will have long-overdue work completed, and the collection system will be in considerably better shape, according to public works director Kent Peetz.

At the October city staff and board retreat, Peetz said he was grateful to former city staff and leadership for keeping the treatment plant maintained, but noted the plant is 30 years old, and after about 25 years, the equipment needs to be replaced.

So, he said at the retreat, he was working on a Department of Natural Resources loan application for the project.

"We have to start that design now to show DNR that we're serious and we have designs, when it comes time to get the loan and sell bonds," Peetz said at the time.

The second task order would be collection system work, likely in autumn 2019, he said in October, and a bond issue would go before voters in April 2020.

Peetz said at the retreat the treatment plant work would need to be done in stages to keep the plant functioning while upgrades are performed.

Fall 2020 would see collection system design, and work on the collection system in spring 2021.

The wastewater collection system has a problem, Peetz said, in that there is too much inflow, or water from outside the system infiltrating -- when it rains, the inflow overwhelms the system, and treating that much water "overruns the plant."

At the retreat, Jackson Mayor Dwain Hahs said, "The good thing is, we're ahead of the game."

The multi-year program will span several projects, not just the sorely-needed upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, Peetz said at Monday's aldermen meeting.

At the Nov. 19 Board of Aldermen regular meeting, Peetz said, "We're proposing to begin work in 2019 for design of the first phase," which includes the first group of 10 wastewater treatment plant projects.

In spring 2019, monitors on the collection system would show where the water is coming in, Peetz said at the meeting.

And, Jim McCleish of Horner & Shifrin said at the Nov. 19 meeting, the city has a 2.4 million gallon treatment plant, 114 miles of sewer in the ground and 3,000 manholes.

"It's a lot to keep track of," he said.

That's why the repair program is being broken up into phases, McCleish said, with workload and projects divvied up over four to five years.

In Perryville, Missouri, city leaders are looking at a $26 million wastewater plant upgrade, according to previous reporting.

A bond issue to fund that project passed in August, extending an existing property tax and sales tax measure.

In Perryville, the sewage treatment plant was built in the 1970s, and no longer meets environmental regulations -- city administrator Brent Buerck had said the plant's filters were not designed to treat ammonia, phosphorous or metals in the wastewater.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

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Wastewater upgrades by year

2019: Study wastewater collection system, $100,000; engineering services at wastewater plant, $1.2 million

2020: Bond issue before voters; collection system design work

2021: Collection system and treatment plant work, approximately $8 million

2023 and 2024: Continued collection system work, approximately $7 million