Feb. 18, 2002 -- Horner & Shifrin, Engineers/Architects/Planners recently completed the design of a new wastewater treatment facility for the Festus/Crystal City Sewage Commission. The commission, which is composed of members from both the City of Festus and Crystal City, provides administrative control over the cities' joint wastewater treatment facilities.
The new plant, to be located adjacent to the existing plant on County Road in Crystal City, will bring the commission into compliance with effluent water quality requirements that the existing plant was unable to meet on a consistent basis due to its age and the enactment of stricter regulations after its construction.
The new facility will also increase the plant's hydraulic capacity to an average flow of 3 mgd with a peak flow of up to 12.5 mgd. This will accommodate the projected population of Festus and Crystal City to the year 2020.
The new treatment facility will consist of four sequencing batch reactors that will provide biological treatment of the wastewater. By sequencing the influent wastewater flow to different reactors, it is possible to withstand significant storm events without upsetting the treatment capacity of the plant. In addition, the existing wastewater treatment facility will be used to upgrade the biosolids treatment and stormwater containment capabilities of the plant.
Horner & Shifrin and the Sewage Commission worked in concert with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to coordinate the project with the Corps' proposed flood protection levee in the area adjacent to the new treatment plant. In a unique "partnering" approach, the effluent will discharge to a stormwater pump station being constructed by the Corps as part of the levee project. By taking advantage of the pumping on the levee project, it will not be necessary to construct an effluent pumping station as part of the new treatment plant, thus saving the cities several million dollars that would otherwise have been needed.
Construction is expected to begin in May 2002, after the project is reviewed by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. The project is being funded through a low-interest State Revolving Loan that Festus and Crystal City were awarded specifically for this project. As a result of this funding approach, the impact that the cost of this project will have on the monthly sewer charges for its customers has been reduced.
