CITY EARNS $392,000 GRANT TO RAISE STREETS

Cape Girardeau Wastewater Treatment Plant employees won't have to worry about the hazards of riding to work in a boat, thanks to a $392,000 Economic Development Administration grant for a street elevation project.

The project is designed to elevate LaCruz, Third, Cooper and South Sprigg streets to maintain suitable access for employees, material delivery, sludge removal and emergency vehicles under severe flood conditions.

The wastewater plant is located on the Mississippi River at the mouth of Cape LaCroix Creek on the city's southeast side.

Cape Girardeau must provide $130,600 in matching funds to account for the total cost of the $522,600 project.

Cape Girardeau Wastewater Treatment Plant Coordinator Steve Cook said the project should virtually eliminate the dire situation his work force experienced last summer.

Workers were transported to the wastewater plant by boat during last year's flood. The access street was closed for 103 days during 1993 because of flooding.

"What this will do is take care of the vast majority of floods," Cook said. In the last decade, access to the wastewater treatment plant was denied four times because the river flooded.

South Sprigg Street has to be closed when the river stage reaches 38 feet.

On May 6, 1983, the river crested at 44.9 feet. On April 21, 1984, it crested at 38.9 feet, and on March 1, 1985, it crested at 41.1 feet. This year the river crested at 48.49 feet on Aug. 8.

The route of LaCruz Street to Third Street to Cooper Street is the only access from South Sprigg Street to the plant. The access route crosses the railroad main line at LaCruz Street and a spur line at the end of Cooper Street.

The project will raise the elevation of the existing street access to 350 feet above sea level and save the existing railroad crossing for 2,000 feet.

In addition, money from the project will be used to maintain electrical power necessary to operate the 77-horsepower flood pumps to prevent the plant from flooding from seep water, storm water or from sewage.

The flood pumps are started when the river reaches a stage of 31 feet. This allows the plant to treat about 5 million gallons of sewage per day and send it into the river.

If the plant loses electric power, the sewage backs up floods the plant. The flood pumps were used for a total of 210 days during 1993.

"We will be able to restore power for two pumps, but we're still waiting to hear on an EDA project that would give us a generator for standby power for the entire plant," Cook said.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson is credited with helping push for the EDA grant.

"These federal funds will help Cape Girardeau prepare for the worst in any disaster," Emerson said, adding that if anything was learned from last year's flooding, it was preparedness pays off.

City Planner Kent Bratton said,"Right now the road is so low that it doesn't take much over flood stage for the access to the wastewater plant to be obstructed. In that case, as we had to do last year, we have to boat in workers to keep the plant running, which is not a safe situation."