Clarifier 1 repairs progress after specialists arrive at Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant

The City of Cape Girardeau announced in a news release it has reached a milestone in the repair of clarifier 1 at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant as specialists have arrived Friday, March 14.

Clarifier 1’s failure, announced by the city Feb. 12, has reduced the city’s water production capacity and raised concerns about meeting expected increased demand during the summer. With one of the clarifiers offline, the plant can produce only “4.95 million gallons of water per day”, while the Ramsey Branch Water Treatment Plant adds 2 million gallons per day.

The failure of clarifier 1 was attributed to a broken carbon steel shaft connected to the rake on the machine. Deputy city manager Travis Pulley told the Southeast Missourian that the company Fabtech is manufacturing the replacement parts for clarifier 1.

The broken shaft in clarifier 1 at the Cape Rock Water Treatment Plant has restricted full water capacity for the City of Cape Girardeau.Courtesy of the City of Cape Girardeau

"With the replacement work now underway, we are optimistic about completing repairs to Clarifier 1 in the coming weeks before summer peak demand," Pulley said in a news release.

The release states that after clarifier 1 is repaired, clarifier 2 will be evaluated by engineers to determine whether similar repairs are needed. The release also said the system's water quality has remained unaffected.