Funding is now in place for a major infrastructure project in Republic. City officials recently announced they were awarded a $50 million low interest loan by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to pay for expected $150 million upgrades to Republic’s wastewater treatment plant. Specifically, the money comes from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
The project will replace aging equipment, increase treatment for anticipated effluent limits over the next 25 years and increase treatment capacity. It’s been in the works since 2017.
"We plan for what you call a 25-year build out," said David Cameron, Republic’s city administrator. "So, you run scenarios of your growth rate, how many gallons you're going to be treating, say, 25 years from now, and you have to build that into sizing how big the plant needs to be."
Cameron said the upgrades are needed to come into and stay in compliance with DNR regulations related to the Clean Water Act. The city has been working with DNR to be in compliance since 2011 and has been granted two extensions. Compliance is now required by April, 2025.
And the city west of Springfield has experienced major growth in recent years. Republic will continue to grow in the future, according to Cameron, and he wants to be ready. City officials recently traveled to Kansas City to meet again with the project’s design team, Burns and McDonnell "just to make sure one more time of everything we're doing that we're constantly in an infrastructure review process because of our growth," said Cameron. "We're not just saying, 'OK. This took care of it. Onto the next problem.' It's just making sure that we're staying ahead of it long term, and we meet with them once a year just to make sure that we're all on the same page of what we're doing to keep this city moving in the right direction on infrastructure and compliance with DNR."
The loan from DNR is expected to save taxpayers around $27.1 million over its 27-year term. Other funding comes from special obligation bonds and American Rescue Plan Act money awarded by the State of Missouri.
Sewer rates will go up in Republic to pay for the improvements. Rate adjustments are expected to occur through 2028.
