Peaceful Valley residents and property owners have a chance to offer written comments on an application by the voter-approved Public Water Supply District No. 1 application for USDA grant funding for sanitary sewer improvements.

Don Burrows, operations manager for PWSD No. 1, said the lake community near Owensville is seeking up to $1.3 million in USDA grants for an estimated $2.6 million waste water treatment facility expected to be constructed sometime in 2022. Voters unanimously approved a June 2020 ballot question to fund improvements with bonds being paid for with sewer rate revenues.

Burrows said the district is required to provide a public forum for comments as part of the application process. The district is also enlisting the assistance of the Meramec Regional Planning Commission to apply for grants and loans for the project.

The district’s Board of Directors will have their regularly scheduled monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, at the lake community’s lodge, 3408 Peaceful Valley Road. Written comments will be accepted within 15 days of the advertised notice of intent to file the application. The notice appears in this week’s issue of The Republican for the first of four weeks.

“This is to let people know we’re applying for funding,” said Burrows, a lake landowner and former president of the homeowner’s association. The plan calls for building an “oxidation ditch” system for treating wastewater.