ST. CHARLES, Mo.—The city of St. Charles will restart three of its drinking water wells on Oct. 10 as it continues to work through contamination concerns at the Elm Point Wellfield.

City officials say it asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to restart the three wells after recently installing a Granular Activated Carbon Treatment system at its water treatment plant. 

When those wells restart, the city will shutdown the only currently operating well for what it says is “much needed maintenance.”

Since 2005, the city says it has had to shut down six of its seven wells, several within the last year, due to chemicals being released into the groundwater from an Ameren substation and two other properties. 

The city has been purchasing drinking water from other areas for its residents for several years. 

With three wells coming back online, the city’s goal is to regain the lost capacity at the Elm Point Drinking Water Treatment Plant by the end of the year. Once the first three wells are successfully operating, the city says it intends to resume operation at two more wells “in order to achieve full capacity.”

The EPA said once the wells are restarted, Ameren will start bi-weekly testing of the wells for the next three months, according to a press release. 

The city is suing Ameren, seeking millions of dollars in damages and to reimburse the city for expenses dealing with the contamination.