Public Works committee hears $78 million upgrade and multiple water, sewer projects; accepts monthly reports

Sean Singer, engineering manager for O'Fallon's water and sewer division, told the Public Works Advisory Committee on Aug. 20 that the city is advancing a package of capital projects intended to modernize treatment and improve system reliability.

"So exciting things going on out in the water sewer world right now with a lot of projects going on, moving pieces," Singer said as he opened a slide presentation that laid out work at the treatment plant, distribution system and collection system.

Singer described the largest project as a solids-handling and headworks improvement program—"about a $78,000,000 project"—that includes a new Influent Screening (Headworks) Building with a quarter-inch bar screen followed by a 3-millimeter fine screen, new washer/compactor equipment for solids disposal, and rerouted force mains. He said some pieces of that project are approaching startup and that contractors have completed recent pressure testing on force mains and are preparing for final concrete work.

The presentation also covered wastewater upgrades that feed into the solids-handling effort: a grit-classifier replacement (a "stack tray" system) to reduce carryover grit, and a sludge-dewatering project now in final design to replace an earlier screw-press installation with centrifuges.

On the water side, Singer listed a new well nearing completion, a reverse-osmosis/general-plant improvement project entering design, a pre-oxidation design effort, and several distribution improvements. He said chemical-feed upgrades at two pump sites (wells 3 and 4) will convert those locations to a chloramine disinfection system to better match the plant's treated water and to remove on-site chlorine cylinders. "It's a kind of a safety improvement," Singer said, noting past incidents required fire-department response when a chlorine cylinder leaked.

Singer also discussed the Brookside Forest water-main extension—one of three alternative alignments under consideration—intended to provide redundant feed for a neighborhood now reliant on a single main.

On collection-system work, Singer described multiple lift-station improvements (wet-well lining, actuator replacements and relocation of controls to reduce maintenance in corrosive environments), a Kellerman flow-meter study to simplify billing and eliminate a problematic meter, and early-stage design for a North Lift Station upgrade that will receive additional flow from a new police facility.

The presentation noted work to meet regulatory expectations: Singer said the plant has a phosphorus-removal target from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources that will drive upcoming projects.

Committee members asked about the previously discussed water tower; staff said the project is still a priority but funding shortfalls and higher construction costs have delayed it and that developers are temporarily using on-site pumping to make new construction work. Singer described a roughly $10 million plant-improvement project he said is starting design and stressed the cumulative scope of work across public works projects now underway.

Members praised the presentation and the pace of work. "Good updates on water and sewer. Thanks, Sean," one member said. The committee voted to accept the monthly Public Works and Engineering reports for June by voice vote.

In a separate update, Mister Bender reported progress on the Public Works facility: half the concrete slab is poured for the building's floor, perimeter and interior foundations for the fleet building are largely complete, and steel deliveries are scheduled with erection to follow. Bender said a formal presentation with photos will be provided at a future meeting.

The committee also scheduled a tour of the St. Peters single-stream recycling facility for Sept. 23 at 1 p.m., to be followed by staff-issued invites. The meeting adjourned after approximately 39 minutes.

Votes at a glance: the committee approved the meeting agenda, approved the July 16 minutes and accepted the June Public Works and Engineering monthly reports by voice vote; no roll-call tallies were recorded in the transcript.