PALMYRA, Mo. (WGEM) - Palmyra’s wastewater treatment facility was built in 1981 and a lot of equipment there is very outdated.

Board of Public Works General Superintendent Brent Abell said one of their rotors recently failed, which prompted a discussion in making replacements sooner, rather than later.

Palmyra City Council voted to move forward with upgrades that will cost the Board of Public Works $750,000. That money is going toward new pipes instead of rotors, which will treat wastewater by putting oxygen into the water.

“A lot of other cities like us in size, they struggle with the cost of improvements,” Abell said. “It’s reached it’s maximum, so I’m excited about the upgrades because it’s gonna allow us to go from a half-a-million gallon capacity to a million gallon capacity plant.”

Abell said while the new equipment costs more money, their electrical costs will be 17% lower after the upgrades.

Abell said they are looking to make complete upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant and replace the other outdated equipment. He said the total will cost around $9 million.

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