McBaine Water Treatment Plant improvement project

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The City of Columbia is working to improve the McBaine Water Treatment Plant. The project is expected to restore the plant’s capacity to treat 32 million gallons of water per day and includes rehabilitation and replacement projects that will enhance the performance of and extend the life of the facility.

To learn more about this project, visit the project page on the City's website.

Want to know more about the City of Columbia's water treatment process? Click here.

May 15, 2025

Primary Basin 3 has really started to come together. After the base was built, crews moved the spur gear into place and then capped it off with the drive assembly. The clarifier spins to remove suspended solids, and the sludge settles to the bottom, moving cleaner water to the secondary basin.

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Click for videoClick for photoClick for photo


Once the drive assembly was completed, crews worked to install the bridge that spans Primary Basin 3. The team built the bridge and then moved it as a single piece over the basin. Precision was important. The bridge had to fit over the drive assembly and onto the brackets attached to the basin walls. A fraction of an inch out of place meant the bridge wouldn't fit.

Click for videoClick for videoClick for photo


Crews began installing rods that will align the baffle curtain in Secondary Basin 3. The baffle curtain will be arranged similar to a queue for an amusement park ride. This slows the water flow, allowing more solids and sediments to settle at the bottom. Water is taken from the top to the filtration building and further treament.

Click for photo




May 8, 2025

The new clarifier is being installed in Primary Basin 3. Crews were busy painting the components of the clarifier to prepare them for installation. The new walkway also was being assembled, with crews planning to install it as a single piece. As the clarifier is constructed, crews will begin installing the baffle curtain in Secondary Basin 3.

Click for photoClick for videoClick for photo
Crews maneuver the core of the clarifier into place in Primary Basin 3.


Work on the filters has also begun. Crews replaced the underdrains in Filter 1 and have begun putting in new filter media and backwash lines. New filter media, air scour piping and underdrains will be installed that will more efficiently separate impurities from the anthracite filter.

Click for photoClick for photo


The outside masonry on the chemical building is completed, and crews are putting the roof on the building.

Click for videoClick for photo


Among other work completed recently:

  • Installed a new flow meter on the 36-inch central pipe
  • Installed ductbanks and conduit and completed the electrical room in the filter building
  • Installed miscellaneous chemical feed pipes

Feb. 4, 2025

The floor in Basin 3 is being replaced. A drainage issue had caused the ground under the basin to become uneven, which impacted the clarifier. Crews fixed the issue, allowing them to level the ground to make the floor even. Crews were able to construct the frame and begin pouring the new concrete floor.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for video
Concrete and soil excavation in Basin 3 were completed. The ground beneath the basin needed to be leveled for proper operations.Workers pour concrete into the framing in the center of Basin 3.Workers pour concrete into the framing in the center of Basin 3.


Masonry work continues at the Chemical Building. Concrete door stoops were poured. Along with exterior walls going up, the interior rooms that house the chemicals and equipment are beginning to take shape. Crews are scheduled to have the roof in place by the end of the month.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo
Workers pour concrete that will form one of the door stoops at the new Chemical Building.Masonry work continues on the exterior walls of the Chemical Building.Progress on the Chemical Building is on schedule.


Jan. 7, 2025

Walls for the new Chemical Building are going up! Crews worked through December to get the framing completed and the floor poured. And then construction of the walls began. Per regulations, crews can only add 4 feet to the height of the wall at a time. A red brick exterior that matches the filter building (as seen in the background) will be added once the walls have been finished. The new Chemical Building will have feed rooms for chlorine, fluoride and liquid ammonium sulfate as well as a storage area for the chlorine gas.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo


Oct. 31, 2024

Rehabilitation on Primary and Secondary Basin 3 has continued over the past couple of weeks. Crews used a jackhammer to break away the concrete in the middle of Primary Basin 3. Some excess groundwater got under the basin and caused the floor to become uneven. Appropriate drainage will be installed before the concrete is poured. Crews also began removing a coating off the concrete inside the basins -- some by scraping, some by jackhammering and some by pressure washing. After the coating has been removed, crews will repair flaws in the concrete with an injection method.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for video
The center of Primary Basin 3 is being removed and a new floor will be poured. In the background, another worker has begun stripping the coating off the concrete.A worker pressure washes some of the coating off the wall in Secondary Basin 3.


Meanwhile, over at the Chemical Building, piping for water and the different chemicals has been installed in the ground. Electric conduits were scheduled to be installed before the concrete floor could be poured. The chemical that the pipes will be used for is indicated by the color of the tape rings. The number of tape rings is a guide so crews know which pipe is which.

Click for photoClick for photo
Chemical pipes are laid in the trench before concrete is poured. Once electrical conduits are installed, crews will begin construction of the Chemical Building.Connectors for the chemicals have been installed at the site of the Chemical Building. The pipes are coordinated by the number of tape stripes on the outside.


An old lime silo and the crane structure have been removed. The lime silo had not been used since the 2005 expansion, when a new silo had been erected.

Click for photoClick for videoClick for photo
A jackhammer on the crane knocks down the walls of a lime silo.

A jackhammer on the crane knocks down the walls of a lime silo.

Oct. 1, 2024

The walkways, weirs and clarifier have been removed from Basin 3. The clarifier keeps influent water moving while suspended solids clump together and settle to the bottom of the basin and removed. The water at the top flows into weirs, which direct the water for secondary clarifying. Construction crews have begun making preparations to pour new concrete in the basin before the installation of new equipment. Crews have also started work removing the equipment from the secondary clarifier No. 3. In the secondary basin, crews will install baffle curtains, which will help the Utility improve treatment efficiency.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo
This image illustrates what a full basin looks like.Workers dismantles the clarifier to prepare it for removal from Basin 3.
A construction worker disassembles the clarifier in Basin 3.


Click for videoClick for photoClick for photo
A crane lifts a piece of the clarifier out of Basin 3. The concrete will be repaired before new equipment is installed.
A crane lifts part of the clarifier mechanism out of Basin 3.


Basin 3 without the clarifier. Crews will have to remove the center part of the floor to ensure it is level before removing the coating and making concrete repairs.


Aerator 3 has been removed. Crews have it timed so that at least two of the four aerators will remain in service during the winter months.

With the new aerators, staff will be able to back a truck to the aerators for media cartridge removal and maintenance.

Click for photoClick for photo
A worker prepares Aerator 3 for disassembly.A worker detaches a pipe so Aerator 3 can be removed.


The pile testing has been completed, and construction of the new chemical building will begin.

Sept. 10, 2024

Preparations are underway as the McBaine Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project begins.

Crews began pile load testing this week before construction of the new Chemical Feed Building. Piles are concrete cylinders driven into the ground at the proposed construction site. Testing piles by applying force will allow Bowen Construction to gather information about the soil and optimize design for the proposed building. Bowen Construction will be testing 36 piles to collect the data.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo
Construction crews look over pile load testing.A drill is used to conduct pile testing.Hardened concrete shows how the ground will react to a building.


Primary and Secondary Basin 3 were emptied prior to construction. Demolition of the Lime Silo and Aerator No. 3 was scheduled to begin this week.

Click for photo

Basin 3 was emptied prior to the beginning of the Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project. The equipment was scheduled to be removed and the basin rehabilitated before new equipment could be installed

The City of Columbia is working to improve the McBaine Water Treatment Plant. The project is expected to restore the plant’s capacity to treat 32 million gallons of water per day and includes rehabilitation and replacement projects that will enhance the performance of and extend the life of the facility.

To learn more about this project, visit the project page on the City's website.

Want to know more about the City of Columbia's water treatment process? Click here.

May 15, 2025

Primary Basin 3 has really started to come together. After the base was built, crews moved the spur gear into place and then capped it off with the drive assembly. The clarifier spins to remove suspended solids, and the sludge settles to the bottom, moving cleaner water to the secondary basin.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo


Click for videoClick for photoClick for photo


Once the drive assembly was completed, crews worked to install the bridge that spans Primary Basin 3. The team built the bridge and then moved it as a single piece over the basin. Precision was important. The bridge had to fit over the drive assembly and onto the brackets attached to the basin walls. A fraction of an inch out of place meant the bridge wouldn't fit.

Click for videoClick for videoClick for photo


Crews began installing rods that will align the baffle curtain in Secondary Basin 3. The baffle curtain will be arranged similar to a queue for an amusement park ride. This slows the water flow, allowing more solids and sediments to settle at the bottom. Water is taken from the top to the filtration building and further treament.

Click for photo




May 8, 2025

The new clarifier is being installed in Primary Basin 3. Crews were busy painting the components of the clarifier to prepare them for installation. The new walkway also was being assembled, with crews planning to install it as a single piece. As the clarifier is constructed, crews will begin installing the baffle curtain in Secondary Basin 3.

Click for photoClick for videoClick for photo
Crews maneuver the core of the clarifier into place in Primary Basin 3.


Work on the filters has also begun. Crews replaced the underdrains in Filter 1 and have begun putting in new filter media and backwash lines. New filter media, air scour piping and underdrains will be installed that will more efficiently separate impurities from the anthracite filter.

Click for photoClick for photo


The outside masonry on the chemical building is completed, and crews are putting the roof on the building.

Click for videoClick for photo


Among other work completed recently:

  • Installed a new flow meter on the 36-inch central pipe
  • Installed ductbanks and conduit and completed the electrical room in the filter building
  • Installed miscellaneous chemical feed pipes

Feb. 4, 2025

The floor in Basin 3 is being replaced. A drainage issue had caused the ground under the basin to become uneven, which impacted the clarifier. Crews fixed the issue, allowing them to level the ground to make the floor even. Crews were able to construct the frame and begin pouring the new concrete floor.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for video
Concrete and soil excavation in Basin 3 were completed. The ground beneath the basin needed to be leveled for proper operations.Workers pour concrete into the framing in the center of Basin 3.Workers pour concrete into the framing in the center of Basin 3.


Masonry work continues at the Chemical Building. Concrete door stoops were poured. Along with exterior walls going up, the interior rooms that house the chemicals and equipment are beginning to take shape. Crews are scheduled to have the roof in place by the end of the month.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo
Workers pour concrete that will form one of the door stoops at the new Chemical Building.Masonry work continues on the exterior walls of the Chemical Building.Progress on the Chemical Building is on schedule.


Jan. 7, 2025

Walls for the new Chemical Building are going up! Crews worked through December to get the framing completed and the floor poured. And then construction of the walls began. Per regulations, crews can only add 4 feet to the height of the wall at a time. A red brick exterior that matches the filter building (as seen in the background) will be added once the walls have been finished. The new Chemical Building will have feed rooms for chlorine, fluoride and liquid ammonium sulfate as well as a storage area for the chlorine gas.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo


Oct. 31, 2024

Rehabilitation on Primary and Secondary Basin 3 has continued over the past couple of weeks. Crews used a jackhammer to break away the concrete in the middle of Primary Basin 3. Some excess groundwater got under the basin and caused the floor to become uneven. Appropriate drainage will be installed before the concrete is poured. Crews also began removing a coating off the concrete inside the basins -- some by scraping, some by jackhammering and some by pressure washing. After the coating has been removed, crews will repair flaws in the concrete with an injection method.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for video
The center of Primary Basin 3 is being removed and a new floor will be poured. In the background, another worker has begun stripping the coating off the concrete.A worker pressure washes some of the coating off the wall in Secondary Basin 3.


Meanwhile, over at the Chemical Building, piping for water and the different chemicals has been installed in the ground. Electric conduits were scheduled to be installed before the concrete floor could be poured. The chemical that the pipes will be used for is indicated by the color of the tape rings. The number of tape rings is a guide so crews know which pipe is which.

Click for photoClick for photo
Chemical pipes are laid in the trench before concrete is poured. Once electrical conduits are installed, crews will begin construction of the Chemical Building.Connectors for the chemicals have been installed at the site of the Chemical Building. The pipes are coordinated by the number of tape stripes on the outside.


An old lime silo and the crane structure have been removed. The lime silo had not been used since the 2005 expansion, when a new silo had been erected.

Click for photoClick for videoClick for photo
A jackhammer on the crane knocks down the walls of a lime silo.

A jackhammer on the crane knocks down the walls of a lime silo.

Oct. 1, 2024

The walkways, weirs and clarifier have been removed from Basin 3. The clarifier keeps influent water moving while suspended solids clump together and settle to the bottom of the basin and removed. The water at the top flows into weirs, which direct the water for secondary clarifying. Construction crews have begun making preparations to pour new concrete in the basin before the installation of new equipment. Crews have also started work removing the equipment from the secondary clarifier No. 3. In the secondary basin, crews will install baffle curtains, which will help the Utility improve treatment efficiency.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo
This image illustrates what a full basin looks like.Workers dismantles the clarifier to prepare it for removal from Basin 3.
A construction worker disassembles the clarifier in Basin 3.


Click for videoClick for photoClick for photo
A crane lifts a piece of the clarifier out of Basin 3. The concrete will be repaired before new equipment is installed.
A crane lifts part of the clarifier mechanism out of Basin 3.


Basin 3 without the clarifier. Crews will have to remove the center part of the floor to ensure it is level before removing the coating and making concrete repairs.


Aerator 3 has been removed. Crews have it timed so that at least two of the four aerators will remain in service during the winter months.

With the new aerators, staff will be able to back a truck to the aerators for media cartridge removal and maintenance.

Click for photoClick for photo
A worker prepares Aerator 3 for disassembly.A worker detaches a pipe so Aerator 3 can be removed.


The pile testing has been completed, and construction of the new chemical building will begin.

Sept. 10, 2024

Preparations are underway as the McBaine Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project begins.

Crews began pile load testing this week before construction of the new Chemical Feed Building. Piles are concrete cylinders driven into the ground at the proposed construction site. Testing piles by applying force will allow Bowen Construction to gather information about the soil and optimize design for the proposed building. Bowen Construction will be testing 36 piles to collect the data.

Click for photoClick for photoClick for photo
Construction crews look over pile load testing.A drill is used to conduct pile testing.Hardened concrete shows how the ground will react to a building.


Primary and Secondary Basin 3 were emptied prior to construction. Demolition of the Lime Silo and Aerator No. 3 was scheduled to begin this week.

Click for photo

Basin 3 was emptied prior to the beginning of the Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project. The equipment was scheduled to be removed and the basin rehabilitated before new equipment could be installed

Water Treatment Plant comments and QandA

Please leave your comments or questions about the McBaine Water Treatment Plant Improvement Project. City staff will respond to your inquiry as soon as possible.

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  • Share Will you be expanding the number of pollutants that will be tested for and removed, esp. PFAs? on Facebook Share Will you be expanding the number of pollutants that will be tested for and removed, esp. PFAs? on Twitter Share Will you be expanding the number of pollutants that will be tested for and removed, esp. PFAs? on Linkedin Email Will you be expanding the number of pollutants that will be tested for and removed, esp. PFAs? link

    Will you be expanding the number of pollutants that will be tested for and removed, esp. PFAs?

    JB asked 6 months ago

    The McBaine Water Treatment Plant improvement project will not have an impact on our testing regimen.

    Columbia’s water is tested more frequently and more thoroughly than is required by law. The EPA sets legal limits on more than 90 contaminants in drinking water, and the Water Utility voluntarily tests for PFAS on a quarterly basis.

    In addition, the Water Utility has evaluated alternative treatment processes and practices to understand the costs and benefits of going beyond current regulatory requirements to reach higher water-quality goals in the future.

  • Share How do these city bonds work? Is this an investment opportunity and if so what is the interest? on Facebook Share How do these city bonds work? Is this an investment opportunity and if so what is the interest? on Twitter Share How do these city bonds work? Is this an investment opportunity and if so what is the interest? on Linkedin Email How do these city bonds work? Is this an investment opportunity and if so what is the interest? link

    How do these city bonds work? Is this an investment opportunity and if so what is the interest?

    RogerWink asked over 1 year ago

    The auction sale and results will be posted to http://www.columbiacapitalauction.com.

  • Share Does the project include addressing security issues to the wells and pumps to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure? on Facebook Share Does the project include addressing security issues to the wells and pumps to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure? on Twitter Share Does the project include addressing security issues to the wells and pumps to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure? on Linkedin Email Does the project include addressing security issues to the wells and pumps to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure? link

    Does the project include addressing security issues to the wells and pumps to prevent unauthorized access to critical infrastructure?

    Steven Sapp asked over 1 year ago

    That is currently being addressed 

  • Share Where will the bonds be offered for sale? on Facebook Share Where will the bonds be offered for sale? on Twitter Share Where will the bonds be offered for sale? on Linkedin Email Where will the bonds be offered for sale? link

    Where will the bonds be offered for sale?

    Dannynuhi asked over 1 year ago

    The auction sale and results will be posted to http://www.columbiacapitalauction.com.

  • Share We need to provide the upgrades needed to this plan to ensure that our water system is up to date and the water quality meets the standards outlined by the COMO Safe Water Coalition. Our current system is not meeting those standards. on Facebook Share We need to provide the upgrades needed to this plan to ensure that our water system is up to date and the water quality meets the standards outlined by the COMO Safe Water Coalition. Our current system is not meeting those standards. on Twitter Share We need to provide the upgrades needed to this plan to ensure that our water system is up to date and the water quality meets the standards outlined by the COMO Safe Water Coalition. Our current system is not meeting those standards. on Linkedin Email We need to provide the upgrades needed to this plan to ensure that our water system is up to date and the water quality meets the standards outlined by the COMO Safe Water Coalition. Our current system is not meeting those standards. link

    We need to provide the upgrades needed to this plan to ensure that our water system is up to date and the water quality meets the standards outlined by the COMO Safe Water Coalition. Our current system is not meeting those standards.

    Srenee.carter58 asked over 2 years ago

     Thank you for your input.

  • Share So this is a side observation to this project since it is already on the table... Columbia should be looking ahead and this is one of those projects that could really shoot this community forward = someone please check out this video from youtube to see what I mean!!! It's about turning waste into energy!!! Seriously, it's a game changer and could make a huge change in pollution AND the cost of utilities in the area! https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg on Facebook Share So this is a side observation to this project since it is already on the table... Columbia should be looking ahead and this is one of those projects that could really shoot this community forward = someone please check out this video from youtube to see what I mean!!! It's about turning waste into energy!!! Seriously, it's a game changer and could make a huge change in pollution AND the cost of utilities in the area! https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg on Twitter Share So this is a side observation to this project since it is already on the table... Columbia should be looking ahead and this is one of those projects that could really shoot this community forward = someone please check out this video from youtube to see what I mean!!! It's about turning waste into energy!!! Seriously, it's a game changer and could make a huge change in pollution AND the cost of utilities in the area! https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg on Linkedin Email So this is a side observation to this project since it is already on the table... Columbia should be looking ahead and this is one of those projects that could really shoot this community forward = someone please check out this video from youtube to see what I mean!!! It's about turning waste into energy!!! Seriously, it's a game changer and could make a huge change in pollution AND the cost of utilities in the area! https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg link

    So this is a side observation to this project since it is already on the table... Columbia should be looking ahead and this is one of those projects that could really shoot this community forward = someone please check out this video from youtube to see what I mean!!! It's about turning waste into energy!!! Seriously, it's a game changer and could make a huge change in pollution AND the cost of utilities in the area! https://youtu.be/p6CF-umWLZg

    kt asked almost 3 years ago

    Very interesting. Thank you for sharing.

Page last updated: 16 May 2025, 04:33 PM