| The City of Springfield's
first documented sewers were built in 1894 west of Grant,
between College and Walnut streets. Those sewers ran northwest
to the Jordan Creek where a sand filter treatment facility
was located until about 1910. These first sewers were built
of brick and clay with brick manholes. Between 1894 and 1910,
41 miles of sewers and 975 manholes were constructed.In 1910
a new treatment facility was constructed further downstream
on Jordan Creek, north of Catalpa street. This facility utilized
sand filters and a traveling bridge and is believed to be
the first of its kind west of the Mississippi River. From
1911 to 1937, 96 miles of sewers and 2,254 manholes were built.
The first Northwest Treatment Plant was built near Doling
Park at an unknown date. In the early 1930's the NW plant
moved to a location near Fulbright Spring where it remained
in operation until 1987, when it was replaced with a new facility
located on the Sac River west of Highway 13.
In 1922 the Southwest Treatment Plant moved south of Bennett
street where Jim Ewing Park is now located. This was one of
the first activated sludge plants ever constructed. From 1937
to 1957, 68 miles of sewers and 1611 manholes were built.
Clay pipe was used until about 1960 when vitrified clay, cast
iron and reinforced concrete pipe began to be used.
In 1959 a new Southwest Treatment Plant was constructed at
its current location on Wilson's Creek. It employed an innovative
process involving the Krauss modification to the activated
sludge process. In 1966 Springfield became one of the first
cities to utilize remote TV camera technology for internal
pipe inspection. About 1976, the City began using polyvinyl
chloride (pvc) pipe for sanitary sewer construction.
The City currently maintains a system that includes over
1,000 miles of sanitary sewer pipe, 27 lift stations, and
over 23,000 manholes, lampholes, wet wells, and flush tanks.
Springfield's gravity sewer system ranges in size from 4 inches
to 72 inches in diameter; pressure sewer lines range from
3 inches to 36 inches in diameter. Springfield's sewer main
depths vary from 3 feet to 94 feet. New sewers are being built
at a rate of 20-25 miles a year. If Springfield's sewer system
was placed end to end, it would extend from Springfield to
Niagra Falls in Ontario, Canada.
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