News Editor The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has declared no significant environmental impacts regarding major proposed upgrades at the city of Lexington’s wastewater treatment plant.

The project is proposed to cost $8 million, and the city is eligible for $6.4 million in state Revolving Loan funds.

According to DNR, the project is being undertaken to comply with current and future permit limits, as well as implementing improvements as part of the long-term planning process.

The proposed project will rehabilitate the existing biological treatment to address ammonia and Biochemical Oxygen Demand removal, while providing options for future nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

The existing treatment processes will be utilized as much as possible, but the trickling filer will be replaced with a biological treatment.

General improvements to the headworks and rehabilitation of some of the existing facilities are also planned for the initial phase of work.

Work planned for future phases includes addition of redundancy to the existing treatment train, replacement of the chlorination/ dechlorination disinfection system with an ultraviolet disinfection system and potentially addressing nutrient removal if needed for permit limit compliance.

In its environmental review of the proposed project, DNR stated the project will have a positive environmental affect.

“Improved treatment at the Lexington wastewater treatment facility will provide better water quality for the receiving stream and the surrounding environment,” DNR stated.

The agency added “(the project) will not result in any significant adverse impacts on rare or endangered species, floodplains, wetlands, recreational areas, cultural/archaeological sites, or air quality. Population densities and land use trends will not be significantly affected. Appropriate mitigation measures will be implemented for minor impacts, which are expected to be temporal in nature.”