Illinois American Water announced on October 23, 2024, that it is continuing to invest in its water and wastewater infrastructure in the Alton District in Illinois.
Recent projects include the sewer separation project in downtown Alton, a water main replacement along 9th Street between Atkinson Avenue and Market Street, a wastewater plant effluent line rehabilitation project, and the installation of treatment equipment at the Alton water treatment plant.
“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 Director of Engineering, Illinois American Water, Brent O’Neill in a press release.
Recent major wastewater projects in the district include:
Piasa Valley Sewer Separation Project
This project continued the efforts to reduce the impact of stormwater within the sewer system as required by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (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.
Alton Wastewater Plant Effluent Line Rehabilitation Project
This project rehabilitated 4,716 of the 42-inch pipe that transmitted treated water to the Mississippi River from the Alton Wastewater Plant. The project installed a 42-inch cured-in- place liner to stabilize the existing effluent line and made additional improvements to manholes and flow control devices. Construction started in 2023, and the improvements were completed in early 2024. The project cost was $3.11 million. Tarlton Corporation of St Louis performed the work.
9th Street Water Main Replacement Project
This project replaced 1,500 lineal feet of 1896 cast iron main with ductile iron pipe along 9th Street in Alton between Atkinson Avenue and Market Street. The project started in late 2023, and was completed in early 2024. KAMEX Excavating of Granite City performed the work. The project cost was $1.8 million.
