The St. James City Council authorized staff to seek a $756,540 grant from the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). If won, the grant funding would pay for repairs to water infrastructure damage in St. James. The council also agreed to provide $153,108 in its own funding for the project. City staff have until Aug. 25 to apply for the grant.

According to Public Works Director Lyle Thomas, in 2023, a major water main break occurred beneath the BNSF railroad track at Seymour Street. Because the railroad track is property of BNSF, the city has been unable to excavate beneath the railroad to repair the broken water main.

Public works officials permanently isolated the damaged water main in order to avoid destabilizing the section of railroad that it sits under. Service was rerouted through the other existing crossings.

City Administrator Leeann DeMouche said break has caused another piece of the city’s water system to be separated.

“That highlighted the vulnerability of the existing water distribution system, and so the city’s water distribution system is now divided into three sections from north to south by Interstate 44, and then also the BNSF railroad,” DeMouche said.

The current fix for the water main break has put a strain on the city’s ability to deliver water service, according to DeMouche, who added that repairing the system is an urgent priority.

“On the south side we have a water tower. When that particular section was cut off, it cut off everything, so we’re not able to do any maintenance on the tower. We can’t disconnect the tower to do any maintenance. These three remaining crossings don’t provide adequate water flow during any kind of emergencies, during peak flows of water demand, or when that southern water tower must be taken out of service for routine cleaning and maintenance so this is a high priority,” DeMouche said. “I mean, very high priority.”

The affected area encompasses 1.09 square miles of St. James south of the BNSF railroad tracks. It contains public recreational areas, educational institutions, places of worship, businesses and homes. According to DeMouche both St. James High School and St. James Elementary School are in the affected area, which serve approximately 190 students. Four churches, 481 residential homes, 27 commercial businesses, St. James parks, the public pool and the library are also in the affected area. In all, 1,107 people, around a third of St. James’ population, is affected by the existing vulnerabilities in the city’s water infrastructure.

At the Aug. 10 city council meeting, officials heard from their public works director. Thomas described an existing plan to run new water lines that would connect the affected area to existing water service infrastructure, such as water towers and wells. Under the plan, a new 10-inch water main would be installed from East Scioto Street, where there is an existing 10-inch water main, and up Wishon Street. The new main would be tied into an existing 8-inch main that runs between two water wells: one behind city hall, and another that is at the St. James High School football field. After boring under the BNSF railroad tracks at Wishon Street, the new water main would be tied into an existing main on the north side of the tracks.

“Basically, it helps get our system where it needs to be,” said Thomas. “This shifts down one block to the east and the reason that is important is because the tracks at that location are elevated higher, which makes the boring and the tying-in a whole lot easier.”

DeMouche said that if St. James is awarded the DRA grant, she will ask the Meramec Regional Planning Commission to help manage administration of the grant.

“They would be helping with the reporting, keeping us on track,” DeMouche said. “They would be doing the quarterly reports for us and everything.”

The council also approved $153,108 in city funds for the water service project, which is 20 percent of the $756,540 that may be awarded from the DRA grant. According to DeMouche, the city would have a better chance of being awarded the grant if it contributes money of its own.

“DRA doesn’t require that you have matching, but we would have a better chance of getting this grant if you do,” said DeMouche. “When you show you’ve got skin in the game, you have a better chance of getting the grant.”