The City of St. Peters obtains its water from two sources, the Missouri River and a groundwater well field located in the Mississippi River flood plain. The Missouri River water supply is treated at the City of St. Louis Howard Bend Water Treatment Plant prior to being pumped through a transmission main underneath the Missouri River into St. Peters. The groundwater supply is treated at the St. Peters Water Treatment Plant and then pumped into the distribution system. St. Peters purchases the water from the Howard Bend Water Treatment Plant in order to provide our customers enough water and keep costs down.

The City of St. Peters has eight pumps that send water from underground wells in the Mississippi River floodplain to our lime-softening plant where it's prepared for customers' use. Ground water contains some impurities and a large amount of iron that make it unfit for consumption. The process to "soften" this water includes the addition of lime, which helps take out the iron. A large silo at the water plant stores lime for this purpose. Chlorine, meanwhile, cleans the water as well as helps remove iron. Fluoride is also added at the water plant to help with dental health.

After these chemicals are added, the water is sent to clarifiers that settle out the lime and impurities before the water enters detention tanks. Next, the water moves through charcoal and sand filters to take out remaining impurities. At this point, the water is ready to move through water mains to homes, with excess amounts stored in water towers. The settled lime and impurities are separated out of the water plant and recycled on local farms as a beneficial soil amendment to control PH levels in the soil.

Licensed operators working in the St. Peters Utilities Department control and monitor the treatment process around the clock, every day. The plant treats several million gallons of water per day. Samples of the treated water are continually tested to ensure that St. Peters' water meets safe drinking standards. See the City of St. Peters' latest annual Water Quality Report on the "Water Quality Reports" tab.