MACTEC HELPING CITY OF PEORIA UPGRADE SEWER SYSTEM: Firm Preparing Long-Term Control Plan

PEORIA, IL, September 4, 2007 – MACTEC Engineering & Consulting (MACTEC E&C) is developing a Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) for the City of Peoria’s sewer system. Bruce C. Coles, president of MACTEC E&C and chairman & CEO of MACTEC, Inc., the holding company (www.mactec.com), made the announcement.

Peoria (pop. 113,000) is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County. Established as Fort Crevecoeur in 1680 by French explorers Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, and Henri de Tonti, the fort later burnt to the ground and was rebuilt in 1813 as Fort Clark. When Peoria County was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria. The city, of course, is also famous as a representation of the average American city because of its demographics and perceived mainstream Midwestern culture, hence the phrase, “Will it play in Peoria?”

According to MACTEC project manager Greg Asbury, the oldest part of the city was built with a combined sewer system—a single pipe carrying wastewater and stormwater. During rainfall, when the pipe runs full, the overflow is diverted into the river, rather than flooding streets and basements.

“Peoria is taking a proactive approach to addressing its aging infrastructure and the LTCP will help map out a strategy and conceptual plan for how to proceed,” said Asbury. “This is a major undertaking for the city as the affected area encompasses about nine square miles of combined sewer surface area including downtown. This could pose some challenging technical issues involving historic properties, geotechnical/vibration issues, and surface traffic.”

The LTCP, noted Asbury, is for the abatement of combined sewer overflow (CSO) and must be submitted by December 1, 2008, based on permit conditions currently applied to Peoria’s CSO system. It will identify existing conditions and problems; provide several options plus a detailed analysis; and discuss financing, time frame, and community involvement.