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ENGINEERING AND PUBLIC WORKS
Water System Improvements
In response to the January 25, 2006, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) violation notice to the City, we have completed designs for two one-million gallon elevated storage tanks and a new pump  station. This new infrastructure will allow us to provide both sufficient pumping capacity as well as storage capacity. Construction of the new $985,000
booster pump station, which is located on the west side of Fairview Heights along St. Clair Avenue, is underway and is funded by a low interest loan from the IEPA Water Infrastructure Fund. By the time this article reaches you, the City should be contracting for the construction of two one-million gallon elevated water storage tanks. One of the new tanks will be located along Pausch Road, north of the bluffs at Ogles Creek subdivision. The second tank will be located across from Fulton Junior School on Kyle Road. Construction on the tanks should begin by late summer 2008.
2008 Concrete Repair Program
Numerous repairs will be made to sidewalks, streets, and drainage structures throughout the City this  summer. Please be alert when walking and driving in areas where these repairs are occurring. Workers and barricades will be in many different locations during the day. In addition to sidewalk repair, about 1,000-feet of new sidewalk will be constructed along West State and
Seven Hills Road.
2008 Asphalt Overlay Program
This year’s list of roadways that will be overlaid with new asphalt includes Aladar, Amy, Affirm, Griffin Gate, Thomas, Nancy, Colleen, Donna, Walnut, Mill, Sunnyside, Center Grove, Countryside, Hillcrest, Wintergreen, Rain Hollow, Park Entrance, Edna, Agnes, Annice, Lakewood, Melissa, Shoreline, East Jefferson, Red Fox Trail, Amberleaf, Blackberry, Plum Tree, Woodland Court, Fairwood Hills, Rutherford Ridge, and Tetherwood. This work began the week of April 14.
2008 Microsurfacing Program
In addition to the overlay program, microsurfacing (a chipless seal coat) will be applied to portions of Seven Hills Road, Coachlight, Thornbury, Main, Dustin, Buckley, Fieldpoint, Alexander, Springhill, Wheatfield, Shadow Ridge, Illini, Catalpa, and Elisabeth. The coating is a mixture of sand, asphalt emulsion, Portland cement, water, and resins. This type of coating was applied to Smiley Street several years ago along the edge of OTHS. While not as durable as an overlay, it does economically extend the life of the underlying pavement. The City does not have the funding to keep every roadway pristine. Overlay, microsurfacing, and reconstruction are the options available to long term road maintenance. We continually play a balancing act to keep all roads
serviceable within the limits of our budget.
Reconstruction of Obernuefemann Road
Due to problems in coordinating with the railroad to reconstruct Old Collinsville Road from I-64 to Milburn School Road, IDOT has cleared the way for O’Fallon to reconstruct Obernuefemann Road from north of the CSX Railroad tracks to Ogle Road starting late this summer. This work will mean several detours as the phases of construction are carried out. More information on this project will be available in the July City Quarterly.
Construction at the Public Works Compound
The building that is going up in the compound between Third and West State Streets is a new storage building that will house vehicles, materials, a locker room, and break room. Currently, employee lockers are in bays where dump trucks are parked. The current break room is half the size needed to accommodate staff. A lot of high cost equipment is now parked outside. This building will solve some of that problem. Expect to see additional improvements to the Compound in the coming years.
Notice of Violation –
Wastewater Treatment Plant
In November 2007, the City received a notice of violation (NOV) for its release of excessive zinc and fecal coliform into Silver Creek. Neither violation was a direct result of our operation of the plant. The fecal coliform releases were the result of waterfowl using our facilities as a home base because the unusually dry summer evaporated the surrounding wetlands. A limited hunting program put in place at the plant moved the birds away and our fecal coliform levels have returned to a satisfactory level. The release of zinc from the plant is due to the corrosion inhibitor used by Illinois-American Water Company (IAWC) from which we purchase water. Their use of the inhibitor is to protect iron piping in their water distribution system (most of the O’Fallon system is
comprised of plastic pipe requiring no inhibitor). The zinc corrosion inhibitor is allowed under the federal safe drinking water criteria and is not a risk to  humans, nor is the discharge from our plant by itself a threat to aquatic life. However, Silver Creek is an “impacted water” under Illinois EPA guidelines. Given this rating, our plant has to meet rigorous criteria that it was never designed to meet. We are working with IAWC to reduce their use of zinc, as the other options are very costly. We are not the only ones with
this problem, Caseyville Township Sewer District that treats sanitary wastes from O’Fallon homes and businesses in Caseyville Township have also been issued a zinc violation. This situation will take some time to resolve.
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