Department of Public Works

The Department of Public Works is responsible for the planning, construction and maintenance of public infrastructure, usually in the City’s rights-of-ways.  Typically the City’s right-of-way is the area immediately adjacent to city streets and includes the sidewalks—it varies on each street.  The department also plans for, constructs and maintains City owned utilities and utility lines.  Those City owned utilities are: storm sewers, sanitary sewers, traffic lights and water mains.  Not all utilities within the City are City owned and operated by the City--there are many other utility companies that operate within the City limits.

Public Works is organized into the following divisions: Engineering, Water, Street, and Facilities.  There is a separate webpage for each portion of the department’s responsibilities.  Please use the links to the left for more information about the specific roles of a department or program.

Water Division produces and distributes drinking water.  The City’s water treatment plant is located along Elm Point Road and produces about 40 percent of our drinking water needs.  A pump station located in Heritage Landing Subdivision provides us with water produced by the City of Saint Louis—about 60 percent of St. Charles’ drinking water.  Water Division maintains and repairs the City’s water mains, reads water meters, and maintains the treatment plant, pumping stations, and water tanks.

Sanitary Sewer:  The City has a contract with Environmental Management Corporation for the operation and maintenance of our two sanitary sewer treatment plants and our lift stations.  These plants treat the sewage to federal standards prior to discharge.  Street Division’s crews maintain the City’s sanitary sewer collection system—a network of underground pipes to get the sanitary sewage from homes and businesses to treatment plants.

Street Division maintains the City’s streets, sidewalks, storm sewers, and sanitary sewers.  This Division is responsible for maintaining about 400 miles of streets within the City.  This includes street sweeping, snow and ice control, repairing pot holes, repairing and replacing signs, and repairing and replacing concrete curbs, gutters, slabs, and sidewalks.  Street Division cleans and maintains sanitary and storm sewers, clears creeks, maintains trees and controls weeds and grass on city right-of-way, and maintains the vehicles and equipment assigned to Public Works and Community Development.  Street Division also operates the Saint Charles Area Transit bus system and the main street trolley.

Engineering Division manages an annual capitol budget of approx. $15 million dollars to expand, repair and improve the City’s infrastructure.  This includes reconstructing existing streets, building new streets, constructing new and replacing old water mains, storm sewers and sanitary sewers, managing an annual asphalt road overlay program, and the creek bank stabilization projects.  The Engineering Division works with developers and contractors to ensure well-planned and well-constructed subdivisions by reviewing improvement plans and issuing permits related to public infrastructure within the right-of-way, and City utilities.  Engineering also maintains traffic signals and coordinates the maintenance of streetlights. 

Facilities Maintenance is responsible for the maintenance of City Hall and its associated grounds, the City Hall Parking Garage, and public parking areas and public restrooms located vicinity of Main Street.