Village Earth Day Ceremony

For the Village of Leonard, a small community located in northwest corner of Shelby County, MO, the ability to provide residents with basic services such as a public sewer system was a necessary but seemingly insurmountable task. With little experience on how to identify potential sewer alternatives or investigate opportunities for funding, the Village turned to SKW to provide consultation for their unsewered community.

SKW conducted a study and prepared a preliminary engineering report regarding the Village’s needs. The report concluded that the most practical and cost-effective option to sewer the Village would be to construct a gravity sewage collection system leading to a no-discharge land application system for treatment.

With an economical solution identified there was still the overwhelming concern of funding. SKW assisted the Village in obtaining project financing through the Rural Development (RD) and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.  Leonard received $647,385 in grant money from RD and a $232,000 RD loan, while the CDBG program provided $185,000 in grant money. The Village was responsible for contributing $62,300 of local funds, and was successful in gaining voter support to pass a bond issue to repay the loan funds.

SKW’s consulting further provided design and permitting services. Antidegredation review was not required with the land application, another advantage of the selected treatment. A no-discharge system is considered a non-degrading alternative and undergoes simplified review requirements. Plans and specifications were completed and a construction permit was obtained from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The operational pre-treatment system consists of almost 10,000 l.f. of 6” and 2,500 l.f. of 8” PVC gravity sanitary sewer mains with a single cell lagoon, and the construction of a land application system with pumps, valve pit, electricity and all necessary appurtenances. Approximately 3,500 l.f. of forcemain will lead from the pond to the 8.3 acre land application site just outside the city limits. A sprinkler system will be used to disburse the water. The centralized sewer treatment and collection system will greatly enhance the community of 64 users.

The local USDA office recognized the project’s community impact at an Earth Day celebration held on April 18, 2011. The ceremony noted the various partners for their accomplishments in successfully achieving funding for the sewer. Honorees included Village officials, SKW, RD and Missouri Rural Water Association. Construction is expected to be completed on this project early in 2012.