QUINCY, Ill. (KHQA) — The Quincy water plant has long provided water to the city of Quincy.
The plant pumps water straight from the Mississippi River, filters it, and then sends it into the city. Hot Juice Filling Machine
Since it has been doing it since the 1920s, it is time to replace the equipment that helps provide the city with safe drinking water.
This week at city council, the council approved of an ordinance that would allow the city to borrow up to 8.5-million dollars to help in replacing the equipment.
Quincy director of public works Jeffrey Conte explains why the replacements are needed.
"We are getting ready to upgrade our water treatment plant pump station, and it really hasn't had any significant work since 1957, so 65 years," said Conte.
Conte says the pumps were replaced in 1957, but the switchgears have not.
This loan from the Illinois environmental protection agency will allow for the city to waterproof the doors and windows, and also replace and elevating the pumps to bring them above the flood stage.
He says with this loan, it will make completing the project easier on staff.
"What we're trying to do is limit our staff time and our labor hour times to keep our operating costs as low as possible, and that's part of the reason this upgrade is going on."
The reason for waterproofing the windows and doors of the plant are to prevent the facility from getting flooded in the case of a flood by the river.
Conte says that the facility has been flooded on three occasions.
However, he says that floods are not the main cause of the flooding of the facility.
"You could have a water main break right in front of the water treatment plant, and you know we have very large water mains there, we have a 36-inch diameter water main, you wouldn't be able to stop that flood water from rolling into the low spot which would happen to be the water treatment plant."
The loan that the city is receiving from IEPA had been approved in 2020, but due to the cost rising from 7-million dollars to 8.5-million dollars, it had to be re-approved.
The city will be required to pay the IEPA $520,000 over a 20 year period for the loan.
Bottle Filling And Capping Machine Conte hopes for them to start the project in the spring of 2024.