Expansion Begins at Illinois Water Treatment Plant

Construction is underway on a Black & Veatch−designed plant expansion and upgrade project at the 120-year-old Main Station Water Treatment Plant operated by Illinois American Water in Peoria, Ill. Black & Veatch provided design engineering and will also provide construction-phase engineering services for the project.

The plant will remain in operation during construction of the new facilities, which include a new ultraviolet (UV) disinfection facility and a chlorine contact chamber. The UV disinfection facility will be only the second of its kind in Illinois. The water system in Peoria is the largest in the state to be permitted by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for disinfection credits using UV.

In addition, the expansion will nearly double the plant’s reliable capacity, from 9.7 million gal per day (mgd) to 17.5 mgd. The improvements, along with the addition of chloramines, will enhance water quality to meet future regulatory requirements by minimizing disinfection byproduct formation within the distribution system.

Built in 1890, the Main Station Water Treatment Plant facilities reflect the Romanesque Revival architectural style and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Source: Black & Veatch