MACTEC HELPING CITY OF PEORIA UPGRADE SEWER SYSTEM

PEORIA, IL, Sept. 4, 2007 -- MACTEC Engineering & Consulting (MACTEC E&C) is developing a Long Term Control Plan (LTCP) for the City of Peoria's sewer system. Bruce C. Coles, president of MACTEC E&C and chairman & CEO of MACTEC, Inc., the holding company (www.mactec.com) - made the announcement.

Peoria, pop. 113,000, is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County. Established in 1680 by French explorers Rene-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle and Henri de Tonti, who constructed Fort Crevecoeur, the fort later burnt to the ground and in 1813 Fort Clark was built. When Peoria County was organized in 1825, Fort Clark was officially named Peoria. The city, of course, is also famous as a representation of the average American city because of its demographics and perceived mainstream Midwestern culture, hence the phrase, "Will it play in Peoria?"

According to MACTEC Project Manager Greg Asbury, the oldest part of the city was built with a combined sewer system - a single pipe carrying wastewater and stormwater. During rainfall, when the pipe runs full, the overflow is diverted into the river, rather than flood streets and basements.

"Peoria is taking a proactive approach to addressing its aging infrastructure and the LTCP will help map out a strategy and conceptual plan for how to proceed," said Asbury. "This is a major undertaking for the city as the affected area encompasses about nine square miles of combined sewer surface area including downtown. This could pose some challenging technical issues involving historic properties, geotechnical/vibration issues, and surface traffic."

The LTCP, noted Asbury, is for the abatement of combined sewer overflow (CSO) and must be submitted by Dec. 1, 2008 based upon permit conditions currently applied to Peoria's CSO system. It will identify existing conditions and problems; provide several options and a detailed analysis; and discuss implementation - financing, time frame, and community involvement.

MACTEC, based in Alpharetta, GA, is a $505 million engineering and environmental consulting, construction management, and infrastructure services firm with over 3,000 employees in over 90 offices nationwide. Illinois offices are located in Chicago, Des Plaines, Glen Carbon, Oakbrook, and Peoria.

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