Existing Wastewater System

The City of Higginsville is located on a ridgeline that runs from southwest to northeast through the center of the City. The northwest half of the City slopes down toward the northwest, and the southeast half of the City slopes down toward the southeast. The City’s sanitary sewer system is made up of gravity flow sewer lines that follow the prevailing slope of the City’s topography which conveys wastewater to two different treatment facilities located northwest and southeast of the City and the two facilities located on the north and south sides of I-70 at the junction area.
 
The city’s existing facilities for collection and treatment of wastewater include the following.

• Collection System:
  The wastewater collection system consists of a 37-mile network of gravity flow sewers flowing toward the four treatment facilities.
  
  
• Northwest Wastewater Treatment Facility:
  The wastewater treatment facility located northwest of the City is a 20-acre single cell oxidation pond with a design capacity for a population equivalent of 4000.
       
• Southeast Wastewater Treatment Facility:
  The wastewater treatment facility located southeast of the City is a 22-acre two-cell oxidation pond. The first cell is 30-acres and the second cell is 2-acres in size. The facility has a design capacity for a population equivalent of 6000.
  
  
• I-70 Interchange North Wastewater Treatment Facility:
  The north I-70 wastewater treatment facility is located in the northwest quadrant of the interchange area. The north wastewater treatment facility consists of a two-cell oxidation pond with a floating aerator. A single floating baffle in each cell partitions the ponds to separate mixing and sedimentation zones. Wastewater flow is conveyed to the treatment ponds by gravity flow sewer pipes. Cell No. 1 was constructed in 1969, and Cell No. 2 was added in 1991. It is loaded to approximately 30% of capacity.
   
• I-70 Interchange South Wastewater Treatment Facility:
  The south I-70 wastewater treatment facility is located in the southeast quadrant of the interchange area. The south wastewater treatment facility is a one-cell system with no mechanical aeration. Two floating baffles are installed to create separate mixing and sedimentation zones. Flows from gravity flow pipe are pumped into the treatment ponds by a duplex submersible pumping station at the headworks near the lagoons. The south facility was constructed in 1991. It is loaded to approximately 10% of capacity.

 

Improvements

The Wastewater Department completed a $1,800,000 renovation in 2000 toward the reduction of infiltration and inflow into the sanitary sewer system in the older part of the City. Other than continuing work and reducing infiltration and inflow, the collection and treatment facilities that serve the main part of the City are performing satisfactorily. Major additions and improvements to the system are not anticipated at this time.

Construction of the south Sewage Treatment Lagoon and the upgrading of the existing north lagoon in the vicinity of the junction of I-70 and Missouri Highway 13 will serve the needs of one of Higginsville's most promising industrial locations for the near future.  Future improvements were anticipated in the I-70 interchange area because of expected growth and developments in the area.

A report was prepared in the year 2000 that provided a plan for future wastewater treatment facilities to accommodate increased wastewater flows in the I-70 interchange area.