The state of Illinois gave more low-interest loans than ever to cities for cleaner water in September, and Charleston may go the same route for the construction of its Waste Water Treatment Plant.

The treatment plant is currently in designing stages and is expected to be complete sometime next year. In order to pay for the plant, City Manager Alan Probst said the city will either use an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency low-interest loan from the state, municipal bonds or a combination of both.

“Nothing’s locked in concrete in this yet,” Probst said.

The current treatment plant is located on West Madison Avenue, and the new one will be in the same place. Although the water has passed state standards for drinking water, the new treatment center’s purpose is to improve the taste of Charleston water and eliminate odor.

Gov. Ryan recently announced the state had awarded a record number of 31 low-interest loans, totaling $65 million, that Charleston may take advantage of to upgrade local drinking water.

“These loans are vital to the infrastructure of Illinois communities and will help construct facilities that are provided to communities through programs administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency,” Ryan said in a press release.

The treatment plant has been delayed from its original completion date of next fall because the firm originally contracted to design the plant, Black and Veatch Corporation of Chesterfield, Mass., was terminated because they overshot the city’s budget.

The firm Crawford, Murphy and Tilly, Inc. of Springfield is now working on a more feasible design for the plant. Probst said the city does not intend to spend more than $8.5 million on the waste water treatment plant project.

The funds, Probst said, will be divided about 60 percent to 40 percent; with the state paying 60 and Charleston paying 40. But the origin of state funds, whether that of a low-interest loan, municipal bonds or both, has yet to be decided.

“(The state) never covers all of what the project is,” he said.

The IEPA loans are especially important this year because it is the 30th anniversary of the passage of the federal Clean Water Act, said Renee Capriano, IEPA director, in a press release. Along with the passage of the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act, these laws have provided more than $2 billion in loans for state projects trying to improve the quality of their water.