CAPE WELL AHEAD ON SEWER, WATER PROJECTS

Although residents complain about Cape Girardeau's streets being routinely ripped up, they can be pleased that the city is ahead of the curve on getting its aging water and sewer systems replaced.

A study commissioned by a group of water and sewer contractors, mayors and others found that the nation needs about $1 trillion in water and sewer infrastructure improvements by 2020 to properly meet demand.

That means new pipes, new plants, new lift stations to propel sewage toward treatment -- everything.

Some cities have World War II-era systems made from terra cotta -- yes, the same material as flowerpots -- and those systems are literally falling apart. Many water and sewer systems are much older than that. Part of Fifth Avenue in New York caved in a few years ago after a 100-year-old water main underneath the pavement burst.

But Cape Girardeau officials and voters saw a need and acted on it years before this study was released.

In 1994, voters passed a capital improvements sales tax.

And on May 20, 1996, the city broke ground on a project to separate the city's rainwater and sanitary sewer lines.

Combining the two systems was a common practice in the 1960s, but it was a dangerous one.

Many a Cape Girardeau resident reported sewage overflows during heavy rains, and those who didn't install safety devices had sewage backed up in their basements.

And when heavy rains caused the old system's sewers to fill, raw waste bypassed the treatment phase and flowed into Cape LaCroix Creek and the Mississippi River.

The groundbreaking ceremony in 1996 was at the corner of College and Henderson streets, in the neighborhood where the work began.

There were inconveniences -- uprooted grass, torn-up streets -- but the repairs will last indefinitely.

And now the city is taking action to improve its drinking water treatment.

The city is spending $15.3 million to increase water production at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant. A 1.75 million-gallon storage tank has been installed. The city also plans to add bigger pumps and larger supply mains.

And, by tapping river-bottom wells, the project will end reliance on Mississippi River water, which is difficult to treat to federal drinking-water standards.

Thus, Cape Girardeau residents will enjoy clean drinking water and an environmentally sound sewer system while the rest of the country struggles to catch up.