MSD crews continue to make repairs after two pumps at the Bissell Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in north St. Louis City failed on Sunday.
MSD crews continue to make repairs after two pumps at the Bissell Point Wastewater Treatment Plant in north St. Louis City failed on Sunday. Crews are working around the clock to fix the pumps as soon as possible. The cause of the pump failure is unknown at this time. The pumps are only used when the river is above 32 feet. They can handle about 250 million gallons of wastewater a day. One pump is still working. That pump and some temporary equipment has dropped that capacity to about 145 million gallons a day. The pumps at Bissell Point were tested last week as part of preparations for the recent excessive rain events experienced in the St. Louis area. All three pumps were found to be working correctly during that test. The pumps were rebuilt two years ago. Because of last year’s drought, they haven’t been used much. The current Mississippi River flow is about 4.5 million gallons per second, which is about twice its normal flow rate for this time of year, or 388.8 billion gallons per day. The river is currently in flood stage. The excess water in the river has diluted the sewage. The river is projected to come down below 32 feet Friday which will allow the pumps to be turned off.