MoDNR awards $50,000 grants to Liberty Hills and St. Mary sewer d…

Communities will evaluate wastewater system improvements

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, NOV. 22, 2024 - The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded $50,000 Clean Water Engineering Report Grant to the city of St. Mary Mary in Cape Girardeau County and to the Liberty Hills Reorganized Common Sewer District in Liberty to evaluate their respective wastewater system.

The grant offers funding to qualified communities to help cover engineering costs of evaluating potential wastewater system improvements. Both communities will use their grant to identify improvements needed to continue reliable service to their service areas and to meet permit requirements. The Liberty Hills plan should be complete in March 2026, while St. Mary's plan should be complete in April 2026.

"This grant helps qualified communities of all sizes pay for wastewater treatment system improvements that they might not have been able to undertake otherwise," said Dru Buntin, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. "We are here to help Missouri communities plan and fund infrastructure improvements that will help protect public and environmental health, and help improve the quality of life for Missourians."

The department is committed to assisting Missouri communities with water and wastewater infrastructure improvement projects. Through its Financial Assistance Center, the department provides funding opportunities for qualified communities with water quality, wastewater and drinking water infrastructure needs. This project will be funded wholly or in part with monies received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

For more information on wastewater and drinking water funding opportunities, visit dnr.mo.gov/water/what-were-doing/state-revolving-fund-srf.