Federal Partners Celebrate Construction of Centralized Wastewater System and Treatment Facility with City of Camden Point, Missouri
Local, state, and federal officials participate in the groundbreaking event on Dec. 18, 2023, at Camden Point’s future wastewater treatment plant site. From left are: Brandon Jenson, Community Development Block Grant Program manager, Missouri Department of Economic Development; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Region 7 Administrator Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn; U.S. Department of Agriculture Missouri State Director of Rural Development Kyle Wilkens; Camden Point Mayor Gloria Boyer; Dana Skelley, Water Division director, EPA Region 7; and Shawna Barnes, U.S. Department of Agriculture Missouri Rural Development. (Photo credit: U.S. EPA)LENEXA, KAN. (DEC. 18, 2023) – Today, federal partners joined Mayor Gloria Boyer of the City of Camden Point, Missouri, to celebrate the construction of a centralized, sanitary sewer collection system and wastewater treatment facility that will improve the health and well-being of the city’s residents.
The day’s events included a funding recognition ceremony and a groundbreaking event at the city’s future wastewater treatment plant site. Speakers included U.S. Representative Sam Graves (MO-6), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Water Division Director Dana Skelley, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Missouri State Office Director Kyle Wilkens, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region 7 Administrator Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn.
"I would like to thank Congressman Graves, USDA, EPA, the Community Development Block Grants program, and many others who have worked tirelessly to make this project happen,” Boyer said. “A special recognition to the past mayor, Mark Wagoner, as well as the City Council who have worked so diligently on this project. And lastly, a special thanks to the residents of Camden Point for their understanding and patience."
The sewer and wastewater treatment project is estimated to cost over $8 million, with funding supplied through EPA, USDA, HUD, revenue bonds, and city funds.
In October, EPA awarded $3,361,707 to the City of Camden Point through the EPA Community Grants Program. Congress appropriates resources for specifically named community water infrastructure projects through this program.
"This is a big day for the City of Camden Point,” Graves said. “While I'm proud to have secured a portion of the funding that's going to be used to build a new sewer system through the congressional appropriations process, I'm also incredibly grateful for the work of Mayor Boyer and so many Camden Point leaders over the years who have worked to make this project a reality. This new infrastructure is critical to supporting the growing community of Camden Point well into the future."
This grant will be used to construct a centralized sanitary sewer system and wastewater treatment facility. It will also be used to decommission septic systems currently used throughout the city, many of which are failing to function as intended.
The sewer system will connect to each of more than 200 households at no cost to the residents and will utilize over 56,000 feet of sewer pipes.
“EPA is thrilled to be celebrating the construction of a wastewater system and treatment facility with Camden Point,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “Clean water is essential, and this project is a powerful example of what can be achieved when federal, state, and local leaders work together to bring resources to communities with the greatest need.”
USDA has provided $4,903,400 toward the project, including two Rural Development Grants totaling $2,371,400 and a Rural Development Loan of $2,532,000.
“Today's groundbreaking is a remarkable example of the partnership between concerned citizens, elected officials, and dedicated government agencies to achieve an essential need for Camden Point," Wilkens said. "As a result, the folks in Camden Point will have a state-of-the-art wastewater system.”
HUD provided $500,000 toward the project through a Community Development Block Grant.
“In 2022, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program assisted over 39,000 American households through new public improvements, like the wastewater facility here in Camden Point,” Clayborn said. “I am truly impressed by the transformative power of federal agencies like EPA, HUD, and USDA when working together with our state and local partners to modernize and make our nation’s critical infrastructure more resilient.”
The project is expected to last approximately three years, with an anticipated operational date in late 2026.
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The day’s events included a funding recognition ceremony and a groundbreaking event at the city’s future wastewater treatment plant site. Speakers included U.S. Representative Sam Graves (MO-6), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Water Division Director Dana Skelley, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development’s Missouri State Office Director Kyle Wilkens, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region 7 Administrator Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn.
"I would like to thank Congressman Graves, USDA, EPA, the Community Development Block Grants program, and many others who have worked tirelessly to make this project happen,” Boyer said. “A special recognition to the past mayor, Mark Wagoner, as well as the City Council who have worked so diligently on this project. And lastly, a special thanks to the residents of Camden Point for their understanding and patience."
The sewer and wastewater treatment project is estimated to cost over $8 million, with funding supplied through EPA, USDA, HUD, revenue bonds, and city funds.
In October, EPA awarded $3,361,707 to the City of Camden Point through the EPA Community Grants Program. Congress appropriates resources for specifically named community water infrastructure projects through this program.
"This is a big day for the City of Camden Point,” Graves said. “While I'm proud to have secured a portion of the funding that's going to be used to build a new sewer system through the congressional appropriations process, I'm also incredibly grateful for the work of Mayor Boyer and so many Camden Point leaders over the years who have worked to make this project a reality. This new infrastructure is critical to supporting the growing community of Camden Point well into the future."
This grant will be used to construct a centralized sanitary sewer system and wastewater treatment facility. It will also be used to decommission septic systems currently used throughout the city, many of which are failing to function as intended.
The sewer system will connect to each of more than 200 households at no cost to the residents and will utilize over 56,000 feet of sewer pipes.
“EPA is thrilled to be celebrating the construction of a wastewater system and treatment facility with Camden Point,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “Clean water is essential, and this project is a powerful example of what can be achieved when federal, state, and local leaders work together to bring resources to communities with the greatest need.”
USDA has provided $4,903,400 toward the project, including two Rural Development Grants totaling $2,371,400 and a Rural Development Loan of $2,532,000.
“Today's groundbreaking is a remarkable example of the partnership between concerned citizens, elected officials, and dedicated government agencies to achieve an essential need for Camden Point," Wilkens said. "As a result, the folks in Camden Point will have a state-of-the-art wastewater system.”
HUD provided $500,000 toward the project through a Community Development Block Grant.
“In 2022, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program assisted over 39,000 American households through new public improvements, like the wastewater facility here in Camden Point,” Clayborn said. “I am truly impressed by the transformative power of federal agencies like EPA, HUD, and USDA when working together with our state and local partners to modernize and make our nation’s critical infrastructure more resilient.”
The project is expected to last approximately three years, with an anticipated operational date in late 2026.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
View all Region 7 news releases
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter: @EPARegion7
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EPA’s proposed regulation would establish updated technology-based pollution limits that are affordable and achievable using existing demonstrated technologies. Additionally, implementation of these ELGs includes flexibilities to achieve the established limits using different technologies or operational strategies. This flexibility serves as an incentive for facilities and control technology vendors to develop even lower-cost compliance options.
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“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to following law and the best available science to safeguard communities from pollution,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. “EPA’s proposal to reduce water pollution from meat and poultry processing facilities will prevent millions of pounds of pollutants from entering our nation’s waters.”
The Clean Water Act requires EPA to revise industry-wide wastewater treatment limits—called effluent limitation guidelines or ELGs—to keep pace with innovations in pollution control technology. The first ELGs for facilities that process meat and poultry products were issued in 1974 and the last revision was in 2004. ELGs are based on the performance of demonstrated wastewater treatment technologies, and they are intended to represent the greatest pollutant reductions that are economically achievable for an entire industry.
As EPA announced in its September 2021 Preliminary Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15, the agency completed a detailed study of facilities that process meat and poultry products, leading to its decision to revise the existing effluent regulation for these facilities.
EPA’s proposed regulation would establish updated technology-based pollution limits that are affordable and achievable using existing demonstrated technologies. Additionally, implementation of these ELGs includes flexibilities to achieve the established limits using different technologies or operational strategies. This flexibility serves as an incentive for facilities and control technology vendors to develop even lower-cost compliance options.
The agency’s proposal also seeks comment on more stringent ELGs for these facilities. EPA will be accepting public comment on the proposed regulation for 60 days upon its publication in the Federal Register. Learn more about EPA’s proposed Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines.
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Shimkin has served as the Deputy Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program Office since May 2021. Upon arriving in the Annapolis office, she reorganized the operations and administration functions, hired key staff positions, and positioned the office for dynamic and successful implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. With her background of senior leadership positions in EPA’s Office of Water, regulatory experience in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and steeped in administration and resources management from years in EPA’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Martha brings an abundance of knowledge and experience to the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership.
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For more information about the Chesapeake Bay restoration, visit https://www.epa.gov/restoration-chesapeake-bay.
“I am pleased to announce Martha as the new director at this critical time for the Chesapeake Bay,” said Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “For more than 40 years now there has been a concerted effort to reduce the pollution entering the Bay watershed and Martha’s leadership will be crucial in carrying that effort forward. This is a critical juncture for the Chesapeake Bay, as we look to the efforts that EPA will take to help states meet their pollution reduction goals.”
“This is a vital mission for EPA and the Chesapeake Bay Partnership, and I am honored to lead the Chesapeake Bay Program Office as we continue to work towards the 2025 watershed goals and looking beyond to the future of the watershed and the people that depend on it,” said Shimkin. “Fortunately, I’m not hitting the ground running but rather continuing the sprint. I am fully dedicated to EPA and to this partnership across 6 states and Washington, D.C. I am looking forward to our continued collaboration across this largest estuary in the United States and home to 19 million people.”
Shimkin has served as the Deputy Director of the Chesapeake Bay Program Office since May 2021. Upon arriving in the Annapolis office, she reorganized the operations and administration functions, hired key staff positions, and positioned the office for dynamic and successful implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. With her background of senior leadership positions in EPA’s Office of Water, regulatory experience in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and steeped in administration and resources management from years in EPA’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Martha brings an abundance of knowledge and experience to the Chesapeake Bay Program partnership.
EPA’s Chesapeake Bay Program coordinates activities and implements strategies for meeting the restoration goals of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, which covers 64,000 square miles across New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The program have been instrumental in encouraging new conservation opportunities, like the recent Hershey and Land O’Lakes partnership to improve conservation practices on dairy farms in the watershed.
For more information about the Chesapeake Bay restoration, visit https://www.epa.gov/restoration-chesapeake-bay.