The Mississippi River has fallen below the flood stage level of 33 feet, which means MSD is now able to capture and treat wastewater at the Bissell Point wastewater treatment plant.
The Mississippi River has fallen below the flood stage level of 33 feet, which means MSD is now able to capture and treat wastewater at the Bissell Point wastewater treatment plant. When the Mississippi River is in flood stage above 33 feet, Bissell Point’s main pipe which uses the force of gravity can no longer be used and the treated water from the plant must instead be pumped into the river. Now that the river is below 33 feet, the main pipe can be used and pumping is no longer required. The wastewater that was discharged into the river over the past several days has been heavily diluted with stormwater. The daily flows of the river at flood stage have been close to 400 billion gallons per day. The dilution and the amount of water in the river have helped to mitigate any public health or safety risks, as well as any environmental impacts. The issue began on Sunday, April 21, when two of the three pumps at Bissell Point failed. All three pumps were tested prior to April 21 as part of preparations for the recent excessive rain events in the St. Louis area. All three were found to be working correctly during that test. The cause of the pump failure remains under investigation. The temporary pumps that were installed at Bissell Point will remain in place until the permanent pumps are repaired. The pump failures and resulting discharge were reported to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and MSD remains in contact with MDNR.