Missouri's largest membrane bioreactor comes online in $145M Republic program

Missouri's largest membrane bioreactor system is now treating wastewater in the city of Republic, part of a $145 million infrastructure program the Kansas City-based contractor Burns & McDonnell announced as complete on Oct. 29.

The firm finished improvements to Republic's water reclamation facility, lifting treatment capacity to 5 million gallons per day, according to the company. The expansion uses a treatment solution no other Missouri plant has deployed — a first-of-its-kind configuration the firm says will help the city meet compliance challenges and prepare for future projects.

What does the $145 million cover?

The program goes well beyond one plant. Per the announcement, it includes:

• The water reclamation facility expansion, now complete
• Peak wet weather improvements
• Three collection system projects

Republic financed the work through direct allocations, state revolving fund loans and revenue bonds.

How did delivery work?

Burns & McDonnell used progressive design-build — a first for Republic. When early estimates blew past the budget, the team leaned on value engineering to cut the price without sacrificing the original treatment objectives, per the release.

The relationship isn't new. The city began working with the builder on a water and wastewater master plan back in 2017.

Alli White, operations manager at Burns & McDonnell, credits the collaborative model in the news release: "Working as one team helped us respond to cost pressures, plan construction around ongoing operations and prepare staff to operate the new systems."

Is this part of a larger water boom?

Yes, and the money moving through the sector is hard to overstate. Jaren Murphy, president of water for McCarthy Building Cos., described a market where nearly every major utility is spending at scale.

"Today, almost every large municipality, water resource district, whatever it may be, has a billion-dollar-plus capital improvement plan and is trying to improve infrastructure, building new plants," Murphy told Construction Dive in August. "The overall growth of this market has really been incredible the last five years."

Aging pipes and environmental rules are driving the pipeline, Murphy said.

What's next for Burns & McDonnell?

The contractor is betting the water market stays hot through 2027. Ron Williams, vice president of water operations, framed Republic as proof of a fuller-service strategy in an email to Construction Dive.

"The industry is looking for innovative thinking and complete delivery capabilities, from identifying the right water quality for a particular use to bringing projects through construction, startup and operational support," Williams said. "Republic illustrates that broader approach."

A $145 million program in a city of roughly 20,000 people won't make national headlines on its own. As a template for how mid-sized municipalities fund, deliver and staff modern water treatment, though, Republic may get copied more than once.