Over $34 million invested in water and wastewater systems in the past two years

ALTON, Ill., October 23, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illinois American Water continues to invest in its water and wastewater infrastructure in the Alton District. Recent projects include the installation of ultraviolet treatment equipment at the Alton water treatment plant, the sewer separation project in downtown Alton, and a water main replacement along 9^th Street between Atkinson Avenue and Market Street.

"Our focus in the Alton District, and throughout the state, continues to be to proactively invest in our water and wastewater systems to maintain high levels of water quality, reliability and customer service," said Brent O’Neill, Director of Engineering, Illinois American Water.

Recent major projects in the Alton District include:

Ultraviolet Water Treatment Improvements

This project was completed in accordance with a change in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that require additional water treatment at the Alton Water Treatment Plant to effectively treat the raw Mississippi River water entering the plant. The project installed state-of-the-art equipment that uses ultraviolet light to treat raw water for bacteria and natural microorganisms that could be present in the raw water from the Mississippi River. The UV treatment equipment adds an additional treatment step to the overall water treatment process without the use of additional chemicals and is a highly effective, environmentally-friendly solution in water treatment.

Plocher Construction of Highland performed the work. Construction started 2020 and the facilities were certified by the Illinois EPA in 2022. The project cost was $6.4 million.

Piasa Valley Sewer Separation Project

This project continued the efforts to reduce the impact of stormwater within the sewer system as required by Illinois EPA and is part of the $31.8 million investment within the City of Alton to address the mandatory Long-Term Control Plan which includes separating portions of the sanitary sewer system from the stormwater system.

Components of the project included installation of 17,980 feet of new sewer piping and 126 new sanitary manholes and improved 10,127 feet of sewer customers lateral service lines within the Piasa Valley area of Alton. The project also stabilized and repaired sections of the 1837 Piasa Tunnel that will continue to be an important part of the stormwater system in Alton. Construction started in 2021 and was completed in August 2024.

KAMEX Excavating of Granite City, along with engineering support from Sheppard, Morgan and Schwaab of Alton, performed the work. The project cost was $23.5 million.