Public Services 

Steve Palen, Director of Public Services

The Public Services Department, which is made up of 4 separate divisions, is responsible for numerous functions that can dramatically impact the health, safety and welfare of community residents and businesses.

The Street Division oversees the maintenance and improvements to more than 56.4 miles of roads and over 42.7 miles of alleys. This includes monitoring for potentially hazardous conditions that can occur when traffic signs and signals are missing or not operational. During the winter months, the division works numerous overtime shifts to ensure roads and alleys are properly cleared and maintained for the safety of those living and traveling in the community. Street crews begin with roads that are most frequently traveled before moving to secondary or subdivision roads.

Through the water and sewer treatment plants, the Water and Sewer Division employees oversee the daily operations of the facilities that provide safe and quality water to more than 4,500 customers. Together, both divisions maintain more than 73 miles of water lines and 56 miles of sewer lines.

To report concerns regarding water mains, sewer problems, street maintenance, traffic signs or other related activities, please do not hesitate to contact Public Services at (618) 251-3122.

Controlling Combined Sewer Overflows in Wood River, Illinois

The City of Wood River, like many communities in the U.S., operates a "combined" sewer system for wastewater collection and conveyance to the wastewater treatment plant. A combined sewer system collects both sanitary sewage from residential, industrial, and commercial sources, as well as stormwater runoff from streets and other areas, in the same sewer system. When heavy rains occur, however, the capacity of either or both the combined sewer system and the wastewater treatment plant can be exceeded due to the often-rapid increase in flows. This occurs because the sewer system and treatment plant cannot cost-effectively be designed and constructed to handle such relatively infrequently occurring situations. In certain wet weather periods, the combined sewer system will then release untreated wastewater into streams, rivers, or lakes – termed a combined sewer overflow (CSO). The City of Wood River has only one CSO discharge and it discharges directly to the Mississippi River.

CSOs can contain untreated human waste; commercial and industrial wastes; and trash, oil, and grease washed from the streets and parking lots when it rains – all of which can be detrimental to the water environment. Because of this, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) developed a nation-wide CSO Control Policy in 1994. This Policy requires the development of a Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP) by communities whose combined sewer system experiences CSOs in order to assess the possible CSO control options, and the eventual implementation of a USEPA-approved LTCP. Long Term Control Plans generally include the following:

• Characterization, monitoring, and modeling of the sewer system
• Public participation
• Consideration of sensitive areas
• Evaluation of alternatives to a CSO system
• Cost and performance considerations
• Operational plan
• Maximization of treatment at the wastewater treatment plant
• Implementation schedule and financing
• Post-construction compliance monitoring

The City of Wood River is currently developing their CSO LTCP. The cost to control CSOs can vary between several hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars, even though the City of Wood River has only one CSO location. Over the next few months, the City will provide opportunity (meetings, presentations, etc.) for citizen involvement in the LTCP development process. To get involved now, please contact Steve Palen, Wood River Director of Public Services at 618-251-3122, or Rebecca Hoffmann, Horner & Shifrin (engineering consultant to the City), at 314-531-4321.

Curbside Trash and Recycling Pickup

• Aluminum and Steel - rinse out tin food cans and aluminum cans and loosely place in blue recycling bin (do not bag).
• Glass - clear, green, blue, and brown colored bottles and jars.  Do not bag, loosely place in blue bin.  Labels do not have to be removed. Food must be rinsed out.  Lids should be removed and placed with regular trash.  Window glass, drinking glasses, light bulbs, and ceramics are not allowed for recycling.
• Plastic - All milk, juice, soft drink, water and laundry detergent bottles bearing the code 1 or 2, usually found in a triangle on the bottom of the container are accepted.  Caps must be removed and placed with regular trash.  (No plastic containers with petroleum products permitted.)
• Paper - Newspapers, magazines, junk mail, cardboard, clean food boxes, gift boxes, phone books, catalogs, brown paper bags, etc.  (No cardboard milk or juice cartons or containers contaminated by food waste or any paper product with a wax coating.  Plastic liners in food boxes should be removed and placed with regular trash.)
• Newspapers must be packed in paper grocery bags and set next to or on top of the blue recycling bin.  Mixed paper (magazine, junk mail and office paper) must be packaged separately in paper grocery bags and placed inside the blue recycling bin.  Cardboard boxes must be flattened and no larger than 2' x 2' and tied with string.
• Items not accepted - disposable diapers, plastic foam products (egg cartons), plastic grocery bags, aluminum foil, plastic toys, paper towels, napkins, toilet paper and any plastics marked with the code usually found in a triangle on the bottom of the container that is other than 1 and 2.

Bulk Item Pick-Up

• Spring & Fall Clean-Up: This popular service provides residents the opportunity to dispose of large items curbside free of charge. Generally clean-up times are during the month June and again in October. Schedules of clean-up are published in the Pipeline Community Newsletter and are available through City Hall. Should you have question regarding what is acceptable, please call Public Services (618) 251-3122 or the Finance Department at (618) 251-3131.
• Dumping Facility: A large dumpster is available for a small fee to residents for furniture or other large items year round at the City Garage located at the corner of 14th Street and Madison Ave. (Route 143). During the following hours: Monday, Friday and Saturday 8:00am to 4:00pm; and Sunday from noon to 4:00pm for the following fee as effective March 18, 1996:

Curbside Pick-Up: The City can arrange for a Wednesday pick-up of large or bulk items for a fee of $35 for each 3 cubic yards of volume. The refuse hauler will pick-up curbside of your residency.  For additional information or schedule a pick-up, please contact the Finance Department at (618) 251-3131.

1. Compost in the backyard - Pamphlets are available at City Hall or on request with instructions on creating a backyard composting facility.
2. Contract for Landscape Curbside Collections - Although the City is not in the landscape collection business, Sanders Disposal Hauling is available for those residents who wish to make special accommodations for curbside collection. For more information, please contact Sanders Disposal Hauling at (618) 465-8461.
3. Take Grass and Leaves to the City Garage - A drop-off facility is available at the City Garage, located at the corner of 14th Street and Madison Ave. (Route 143), where grass and leaves (yard waste) are accepted free of charge beginning May 1, 2001.  Anything in plastic bags will have to be opened and dumped into the containers.  Paper bags will be accepted. There is a $5.00 charge for brush disposal.
4. Leaf Burning - Outdoor burning of leaves, plants, shrubs and small limbs is allowed on private property, on Wednesday and Saturday only during the time period of October 1st through April 30th of each year.  Burning must take place during daylight hours, only during a calm weather period with winds of less than 10 miles per hour. All burning must be supervised and a water hose must be available to extinguish a fire, if necessary.  No leaf burning shall be allowed on any public street or alley.
5. Leaf Pick-Up: Generally beginning in October until December, the City will provide residents the opportunity for a free leaf pick-up for those leaves that are raked to the curb. Please do not rake leaves into the gutter. During rains, leaves may wash into the storm drainage system and cause unnecessary back ups. A leaf pick-up schedule is published in the fall edition of the Pipeline Community Newsletter. For additional information, please call City Hall at (618) 251-3100.
6. Brush Hauling: Residents can schedule for tree limbs to be picked-up curbside for a fee of $25 per truckload by contacting the Finance Department at (618) 251-3131. Pre-payment and scheduling arrangements must be done in advance.

For additional questions, please contact either City Hall at (618) 251-3100 or Public Services at (618) 251-3122.

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The City of Wood River, Illinois
111 North Wood River Avenue
Wood River, Illinois  62095
(618) 251-3100

This page last modified 09/01/08 .
All information © 2008 City of Wood River

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