The process of allowing Duenweg to pipe its sewage to the Center Creek 201 Wastewater Treatment Plant could be finished by August.

Members of the Center Creek 201 Board of Trustees voted Thursday, June 17, to approve a memorandum of understanding to guide the process.

The plan is for the memorandum to be the outline for a municipal agreement to be considered at the board’s July 15 meeting, presented to city councils and then acted on during the Aug. 19 meeting.

Webb City and Carterville were the original cities that built the treatment plant in the late 1980s. Oronogo was allowed to join in 1993.

The cost of operating the plant are divvied up based on the amount of flow from each community, which is measured by meters. 

Plant operator Josh Farley reported the following year-to-date flow rates as of May: Webb City, 82.23%; Carterville, 10.07%, and Oronogo, 7.75%.

Likewise, Duenweg’s flow would be measured to determine its share of operating costs and potential expansion costs in the future.

The board is comprised of representatives of each community. Duenweg would be granted two positions on the board.

“We want to be a part” in managing the plant and sharing costs, Duenweg Mayor Russell Olds told the board.

He added that reaching agreement on Duenweg being welcomed as a member city will help in obtaining funding.

Justin Pryor, Duenweg administrative director estimates it will cost $4.9 million to pipe Duenweg’s sewage seven miles to the existing lift station site on North East Street in Webb City. 

Olds said it will probably be two years before Duenweg actually connects to the Center Creek 201 plant. They’re currently putting together funding documents and land easements.

If applications for U.S. Department of Agriculture and Community Development Block Grant funds are approved, residents of Duenweg will be required to pay $1.89 million of the total.

A CHEAPER OPTION

Duenweg is currently a customer of Joplin’s sewage system.

Pryor says joining the Center Creek 201 system will save Duenweg citizens money. “It’s a cheaper option for us,” he said.

Webb City City Administrator Carl Francis said he initially wondered, “How in the world could you (Duenweg) save money,” considering the cost of the project. 

“I see now,” after learning how much Joplin is charging Duenweg for sewer service.

William Runkle, Webb City waste water utilities director, assured 201 board members that the plant can handle the extra flow from Duenweg.

According to Pryor, there are currently 577 houses on Duenweg’s system. That number will nearly double when Schuber Mitchell Homes builds 550 homes in its Southwind Trail subdivision.

Webb City Mayor Lynn Ragsdale, the current 201 board chairman, said accepting Duenweg “is not just a benevolent act. When this is done, we’re a stronger group – not a weaker one.”