1800

1850: French and German farmers and railroad workers populate the ‘Centreville Station’ area.

1890: The Illinois Central Railroad buys tracks around Centreville.

1900

1903: The Great Flood of 1903 brings forward the proposition of the Metro-East Sanitary District Levees and the proposition is carried out .

1910

1910: Centreville is incorporated into a township with one village.

1950

1957: The City of Centreville is incorporated.

1960

1969 : Centreville Township’s initial sewage system construction plan is completed, 20 years after the plan’s proposal.

1970

1976: Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water District buys Centreville Township’s sewage system and continues to manage both tap water and wastewater for the Township.

1980

1986: The American Bottoms Wastewater Treatment Plant is opened to treat municipal wastewater from surrounding municipalities, including parts of the City and Township of Centreville.1988-90: Problems with the East St. Louis sewer system, to which centreville’s sewer system is tied, make national news. U.S. EPA sues East St. Louis for misuse of federal sewer money; St. Clair County State’s Attorney and East Side Health District sue City for sewage failures.

1990

1993 : A year of heavy flooding greatly damages the St. Louis area levees and causes damage to local sewer systems.1994: East St. Louis public works director blames flooding impacting East St. Louis, Centreville and Washington Park partly on failure to clean and dredge Harding Ditch.

2000

2002: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notifies then Mayor Seaberry that I-255 is a barrier to water flow between the 63rd Street area of Centreville and Harding Ditch.2003: The takeover of the Centreville-Alorton Sewer District by Commonfields of Cahokia is announced, along with the need for extensive emergency repairs due to failure to clean and grease sewer pumps.2007: FEMA notifies the Metro East levee district that the levees will lose accreditation unless significant problems with underseepage and other issues are addressed.2009: Illinois EPA issues plan identifying Harding Ditch as failing to meet water quality standards for fecal coliform.

2010

2013: Heavy rainfall and flooding results in emergency rescue of six fami 1 ies in neighborhood of 40-45 homes off of State Street near the I-255 exit.2019: St. Clair County again recognizes that ‘runoff originating from the bluff areas to the east of the American Bottoms contribute [sic] markedly to flooding, ponding, and soil wetness.

2020

2020: Residents Cornelius Bennett and Earlie Fuse file a lawsuit in the US District Court in East St. Louis, asking that officials fix the sewer system Those named as defendants include: the city of Centreville, the Township of Centreville, Commonfields of Cahokia Public Water District, and leaders of each entity.