The City has been proactively upgrading their facilities to bring the condition of the existing treatment plant up to an acceptable level.  The City has recently completed the restoration of five of their eight existing filters.  Improvements included removal and replacement of the underdrain systems, removal and replacement of the dual filter media, and power washing the interior surfaces.   

An additional facet of the work included replacement of filter valves, which control the influent, effluent, backwash, and waste water processes.  A total of five new butterfly valves were installed and a total of eleven valves were equipped with new pneumatic controls, which eliminated the outdated hydraulic controls.  Four valves were fitted with position indicators to make the filter operations more efficient.

Due to aging facilities and a need to expand capacity, the City of Marquette Heights approved the design of a new ion exchange water softening treatment system for the plant.  The City applied for and obtained a low interest loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for construction of the new facilities.  The existing treatment plant, which was located across the alley from the proposed plant, was kept in service until the new plant had been constructed and successfully tested.

Regular construction meetings with the contractor, subcontractors, and City staff expedited resolution of critical schedules and construction issues.  The project was constructed with Change Orders totaling less than 1% of the initial bid price.  The project included a 550 gpm ion exchange treatment plant comprised of three ion exchange treatment units, each measuring seven feet in diameter, and two concrete underground brine storage tanks.

The City has been proactively upgrading their facilities to bring the condition of existing treatment plant up to an acceptable level and to expand the capacity of their water production for future expansion.  Parts of these improvements included the upgrade of their lime slurry creation and delivery system.  A new lime slaker was installed to handle the future design flow of 5.0 MGD from either of their raw water sources which are a nearby lake and a collector well located adjacent to the Illinois River.  A looped slurry delivery system was also installed which allowed for more accurate dosing of lime slurry than their existing system.  This new system has decreased the consumption of lime significantly.