Moline is undergoing the largest public works project in the western Illinois city's history. The city is amid a $44 million upgrade and expansion to its North Slope Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plant treats about 2 billion gallons of water annually. Moline's Water Pollution Control Department operates the plant. City officials say the plant has only had minor improvements since it was built in 1966. The latest efforts come after the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency told the city in 2009 that it needed to fix sanitary sewer overflows. The project is expected to take 2 1/2 years to complete. It's being funded with an Illinois EPA loan and user rate increases that started in 2014.
