Conversion Benefits || Conversion Timeline  || Water Main Page || 

Kirkwood prides itself in offering many municipal amenities that aren’t typically provided by other St. Louis communities, including sanitation, electric, and water services. Kirkwood has been providing water to its residents since 1903. Due to the city’s aging water treatment plant, parts of which are over 80 years old, a viable solution was necessary to ensure continued quality water service to Kirkwood customers.

After careful analysis that included looking at the cost to rebuild the water treatment plant or sell the entire water system, the best long-term solution for Kirkwood is to get out of the water treatment business but remain in the water distribution business, a scenario similar to Kirkwood Electric, the city’s successful electric utility, which purchases wholesale power and resells it to the city’s electric customers. The City of Kirkwood has contracted with the Missouri-American Water Company for the purchase of drinking water for redistribution and resale to the city’s water customers. The conversion to the new arrangement will take approximately two to three years to complete, pending approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission.

Three Benefits To Kirkwood Water Customers:

For Kirkwood Water customers, the benefits of this solution are three-fold:
1) Kirkwood will remain in the water distribution business, which means residents will continue to receive high quality customer service provided by Kirkwood’s own Water Department

2) Kirkwood will no longer be responsible for the costly responsibility of complying with increasingly stringent water quality regulations or the safety of our water supply, two components of the water treatment business that can be addressed much easier by a larger water supplier, such as Missouri American Water, and

3) The new distribution system will provide for six distribution points of water to Kirkwood customers located around the perimeter of the city, as opposed to the current two points of distribution. The additional interconnects will improve the city’s water flow and water pressure to certain areas of the city during periods of high demand.

MAY 2007:
The Marshall Rd. pump station has been migrated into the SCADA system, which means that all six interconnects are under SCADA control, which also means we now have a capacity of nine million gallons per day to supply peak summer demands of a little under eight million gallons per day. The Marshall Rd. site has been graded and seeded, and the sludge lagoons will be slowly filled in as all remaining sludge is removed this fall. All major construction for this conversion has been completed with only minor punch list items to be taken care of.

APRIL 2007:
Initial pump start-up has been completed and pumps are now operational in manual mode. Filling of treatment basins and compacting around the former water treatment plant has been essentially completed. New piping has been painted.

Items remaining to be completed at the site include: Readjusting pressure regulating valves at the Tree Court interconnection, migrating the Marshall Rd. pump station into SCADA system control, reestablishing phone service, installing a control station PC, constructing a curb and retaining wall, lawn restoration and a thorough cleaning of construction dirt.

MARCH 2007:
Outside basin sites at the former water treatment plant continue to be filled and compacted. The automatic electric transfer switch (from Kirkwood Electric to Ameren and back) has been installed. The pressure regulating valves at the Marshall Rd./Tree Ct. interconnection have been activated and adjusted. All new piping has passed bacteriological and pressure testing. Pump start-up and testing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 20.

OCTOBER 2006:
We remain on schedule to close the treatment plant in approximately four weeks.

The Barrett Station and Highland Ave. interconnects are both now functional in a manual mode. The next step is the equipment installation by AT&T and final connection to the SCADA system.

The existing Swan Ave. pump station interconnect is function in a manual mode.  The next step is the equipment installation by AT&T and final connection to the SCADA system.

The Trailcrest pump station interconnect is now functional in a manual mode.  The next step is the equipment installation by AT&T and final connection to the SCADA system.

The Fillmore pump station interconnect is scheduled for manufacturer’s rep start up on Oct. 10.

The Rose Hill and Dougherty Ferry water towers, and the #1 and #2 Park pump stations and storage facilities will be switched from treatment plant control and monitoring to SCADA system control and monitoring this week. As we switch these facilities over, the treatment plant operators will lose all control and most monitoring capabilities over them.

In anticipation of treatment plant demolition, the unused “East” well and several monitoring wells have been abandoned. Pumps and motors have been removed from the unused radial “Ranney” collector well.

SEPTEMBER 2006:
We remain on schedule to close the treatment plant in early November.

Barrett Station Interconnect – Vault, all piping, electrical and SCADA controls, and electrical service installed. Awaiting final connection and meter installation by Mo-American and service installation by AT&T.

Fillmore Interconnect – Excavation for installation of below ground pump station underway. Water main installed across Fillmore Ave.

Tree Court Interconnect – Vault and interior piping installed. Exterior piping currently being installed.

Highland Interconnect – Vault, all piping, meter, electrical and SCADA controls, and electrical service installed. Awaiting service installation by AT&T.

Trailcrest Interconnect – Pump station and all piping installed. Awaiting installation of SCADA equipment, meter by Mo-American, electric service by Ameren and phone service by AT&T.

Swan Interconnect - SCADA equipment and pump controls installed.

Rose Hill Tower – SCADA equipment, electrical, antenna and coax installed.

Dougherty Ferry Tower – SCADA equipment, electrical, antenna and coax installed.

#1 Park – SCADA equipment, electrical, antenna and coax installed. Awaiting installation of server.

#2 Park – Awaiting installation of SCADA equipment, electrical, antenna and coax.

Meter Shop – SCADA equipment, electrical, antenna and coax installed. Awaiting installation of control PC.

Utilities Office - SCADA equipment, electrical, antenna and coax installed. Awaiting installation of control PC.

20-Inch Main from Plant to Tree Court – Completed with the exception of bacteriological and pressure testing.

Treatment Plant Conversion – Layne Western to begin abandoning old unused wells and river intake in September.

JULY 2006:
Conversion construction “officially” began with the excavation and installation of concrete vault interconnections at Highland & Dougherty Ferry and at Barrett Station & Trossock this past week. Also installed were antennas and related coax cable at the Dougherty Ferry and Rose Hill water towers, and at the #1 park tank.   

On July 6, 2006, the City Council approved Resolution 51-2006, accepting the bid of KCI Construction Company in the amount of $1,690,500 for the Kirkwood/Missouri American Water Company conversion of the water treatment plant into a pump station.

JUNE 2006:
Construction of the smaller interconnections located on Highland Ave. and on Barrett Station Rd. is scheduled to begin this month. Installation of the two small pump stations located on S. Fillmore and on Trailcrest Ln. is scheduled to begin in July. Missouri-American Water Co. has completed their work on Marshall Rd., Dougherty Ferry/Highland, and Ballas/Trailcrest, and is now waiting for the installation of the interconnections. Bids have been requested for the treatment plant conversion, scheduled to begin in November, and are due June 20. The engineer’s estimate for this last phase is $1.25 million not including alternates and $1.36 million including all alternates.

MAY 2006:
The Phase 1 contractor, Karsten Equipment, has ordered the two pump stations and three interconnection vaults. These items have the longest lead time of all the materials needed for this phase. 
     Bids for the 20-inch pipeline from Tree Court to the treatment plant were opened on May 8. Bommarito Construction was the low bidder at $369,100, $144,500 below the engineer’s estimate of $513,600. Bidding this pipeline separately maximized competition.
     Design of the conversion of the treatment plant to a pump station (phase 2) is 98% complete. It is anticipated that the city will go out for bid the week of May 22.
     Missouri-American has completed their installation of 20-inch main from Tree Court to Highway 141 and the installation of their eight-inch main from Des Peres Rd. to the Highland Ave. interconnection. Missouri-American's contractor has excavated at Trailcrest & Ballas to install a new water main for that interconnection.

APRIL 2006:
A “Notice to Proceed” was issued to Karsten Equipment Co. to begin construction of the four interconnects and the SCADA system. The contractor must be substantially complete with this phase of the conversion by mid-September.
     Bids for the construction of approximately 3,600 linear feet of 20-inch diameter pipeline from Tree Court Industrial Dr. to the treatment plant are being requested. The route of the pipeline will be through Green Tree Park between Marshall Rd. and the Meramec River. The projected cost for the project is $514,000.
     Design of the last phase of the conversion, which is the transformation of the treatment plant to a pump station, is 90% complete. Bids for this phase will be requested in June/July.

FEBRUARY 2006:
Approval of the Preliminary Design Report has been received from MoDNR.  The underground heating oil tank behind the treatment plant has been removed and disposed of and bids for the removal of the remaining asbestos material at the plant and the unused radial well are being requested.
     Missouri-American has completed the bore and pipe installation beneath Marshall Road and is proceeding with the installation of their 20-inch main along Marshall from Tree Court toward Valley Park. They have obtained their excavation permit from Valley Park and are continuing to negotiate for two easements.
     The Water Department has been successful in obtaining an easement from the property owner on Barrett Station Road at Trossock and have reapplied for a permit for this interconnection from County Highway.  Plans and specifications for Phase 1 construction have been completed and bids will go out on February 6. Phase 1 includes the construction and installation of four interconnections at Highland at Dougherty Ferry, Barrett Station at Trossock, Trailcrest at Ballas, and Fillmore at Big Bend. The two interconnections on Highland and Barrett Station will consist of underground concrete vaults containing piping, metering, and automatic valving, as well as above ground electrical/control panels and antenna masts that are 20-25 feet tall. The two interconnections on Trailcrest and Fillmore will consist of underground prefab steel pump stations containing piping, metering, automatic valving, pump and motor, and electrical/control panel. These two sites will also have antenna masts that are 20-25 feet tall. Phase 1 also includes the installation of a SCADA system to control these four interconnections, the Swan Avenue pump station and the Marshall Road pump station (a.k.a. water plant).

JANUARY 2006:
The Preliminary Design Report has been submitted to MoDNR for their approval. Approx. 300 gallons of old heating oil from an underground storage tank behind the treatment plant has been removed. Missouri-American has started construction of the 20-inch main on Marshall Rd. at Tree Court, which will connect the current water plant to the Missouri American system. The first stage of this process is for Mo-American’s contractor to bore across Marshall Rd.

The old nursery/leaf mulch area is being used to stage project materials.  Although the route of the water line through the park has been carefully planned to minimize the impact on the park’s trees, is has been necessary to remove two trees to create the bore pit where the line will run under Marshall Road.  Both of the trees that were removed were categorized as hazardous by the local Missouri Department of Conservation's Urban Forester.   Missouri American will plant replacement trees when construction is completed.

DECEMBER 2005:
Originally, the preliminary conversion plan called for a total of seven interconnections between Kirkwood's system and Missouri-American's system. Since then, one of the smaller interconnections that was to be located at the intersection of Woodgate & Manchester has been eliminated from further consideration due to a lack of necessity.

An application for construction permit, along with a preliminary design report has been submitted to MoDNR. An application for construction permit has also been submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers.

Kirkwood has been working on the removal and disposal of: 1) approx. 300 gallons of old heating oil from an underground tank behind the treatment plant, 2) the 1,000 gallon capacity tank itself, 3) approx. 325 linear feet of asbestos boiler pipe insulation within the plant building, and 4) a product called "Cemesto," which is sheet rock containing asbestos that was used to line the interior walls of the city's river intake pumping station and the old radial collector well control room.

Design of Phase 1, which includes the construction of four interconnections, SCADA system and 3,500 feet of 20-inch main from the city limits to the treatment plant property, is progressing rapidly.

SEPTEMBER 2005:
City Council approves Bill 9644, authorizing an increase in water rates for the purpose of funding the design and construction of infrastructure improvements. The water charge will increase 30 cents per 100 cubic feet (about 700 gallons). The average Kirkwood water customer will see a monthly increase of about $3.75; the increase will be substantially less for many of Kirkwood's senior citizens who use below average amounts of water.

AUGUST 2005:
CH2MHill has begun preliminary design of the capital improvements required for our conversion to Missouri-American Water. Surveying is underway at six interconnect sites, including the existing treatment plant, where we will have installed approximately 3,800 feet of 20-inch diameter water main from the city limits at Tree Court Industrial Drive to the treatment plant. Missouri-American Water is also having surveys performed in areas where they will be installing water mains to supply the interconnects. We have conducted 11 hydrant flow tests to confirm behaviors of the distribution system.

Engineers from CH2MHill are updating our distribution system computer model with data from more recent hydrant flow tests. Kowelman Engineering (CH2MHill’s subcontractor) is surveying all interconnection sites and the now established route of the new 20-inch main through Greentree Park.

JULY 7, 2005:
City Council authorizes contract with CH2MHill to design the conversion documents. 

JULY 2005:
Public Service Commission approves Mo-American's proposal for the conversion with Kirkwood Water.

DECEMBER 2004:
City Council approves contract with Mo-American for conversion.