JEFFERSON CITY — The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded
$27 million in financial assistance to the city of Perryville for upgrades to its wastewater treatment system. The project is estimated to cost $30.3 million and is expected to be completed by September 2022.
The project includes upgrades to the city’s existing wastewater treatment facility. These improvements include installation of new screening, filtration, nutrient removal, sludge storage and disinfection systems. The project also includes construction of a new administration building and a new discharge outfall location. The project is expected to result in improved effluent, which will enter Cinque Hommes Creek. It will also extend the wastewater treatment system’s life and efficiency so it can continue to serve the city well into the future.
The project’s funding consists of three loans totaling $26 million, as well as a $1 million Water Quality Incentive Grant, all through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, and $3.3 million in other sources. The department-provided funding should save the city’s ratepayers a total of $1 million in principal and approximately $5.9 million in interest over the loans’ 20-year terms.
“Keeping Missouri’s infrastructure strong and resilient is one of our top priorities,” said Governor Mike Parson. “We do that one community at a time, and that takes collaboration and creative problem solving at all levels. Because finding manageable project funding is often a challenge for some of our communities, we have to make viable solutions available like those offered through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.”
“Grants and low-interest loans through the State Revolving Fund help Missouri communities with water and wastewater treatment system improvements that they might not have been able to undertake otherwise,” said Dru Buntin, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “We are here to help Missouri communities plan and fund infrastructure improvements that will help protect public and environmental health and provide local economic benefits as well.”
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund finances improvements to wastewater treatment facilities, sewer collection system rehabilitation and extensions and combined sewer overflow corrections, as well as to security, efficiency and conservation measures. Communities who borrow from the fund benefit from the below-market interest rate and from assistance provided throughout their project from a department project manager.
The department is committed to assisting Missouri communities with water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects. Through its Financial Assistance Center, the department provides funding opportunities for communities with water quality, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure needs. This project will be funded wholly or in part with monies received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
For more information on wastewater and drinking water funding opportunities, visit dnr.mo.gov/water/business-industry-other-entities/financial-opportunities/financial-assistance-center.