Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District

St. Louis Pump Failure Sending Sewage Into Flooded Mississippi River

Rachel Lippmann — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Updated April 29, 7:30 p.m.

With the Mississippi River below 33 feet, MSD says it no longer has to use the pumps, and the flow of untreated wastewater into the river has stopped. The temporary pumps will remain in place.

Updated April 29, 4 p.m.

MSD officials say that with the Mississippi River dropping, the flow of untreated sewage has slowed to 16 million gallons a day. Crews continue to work on installing two temporary pumps to replace the ones that failed. The cause of the failure is still under investigation.

St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District Names New Executive Director

Kelsey Proud — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:42:04 +0000

The St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District has named its new executive director, Brian Hoelscher.

St. Louis Sewer District Names Interim Leader

Rachel Lippmann — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:21:33 +0000

A nearly eight-year veteran of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District will be the agency's interim executive director.

MSD announced today that Jonathon Sprague, its current director of operations, will succeed Jeff Theerman on a temporary basis when Theerman retires on Jan. 11, 2013.

State Supreme Court To Hear St. Louis Stormwater Case

Rachel Lippmann — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 20:53:25 +0000

The Missouri Supreme Court will decide whether the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District can charge for stormwater service based on how much water a property absorbs.

The decision extends a nearly four-year-old legal battle over the agency’s so-called "impervious fee." Two lower courts have ruled that it was not a fee at all, but a tax – and therefore had to be approved by voters under the Hancock Amednment.

When it comes to stormwater service, MSD is facing a perfect 'storm' of problems

Rachel Lippmann — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 11:38:09 +0000

The remnants of Hurricane Isaac ended a summer-long dry spell. But for some customers of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, it meant flooded backyards and basements.

For decades, MSD funded its stormwater service with a patchwork of different taxes, which allowed the agency to meet its regulatory requirements. But repairs were a different story.

Some parts of the region were flush with cash for capital projects. It took others months or years to accumulate enough funds for even basic repairs.

Earlier this year, a state appeals court struck down a potential solution - a fee based on how much water a property could absorb. An appeal to the state Supreme Court is pending.

For now, MSD has gone back to its old taxing districts - allowing the lingering problems to get worse.