A new wastewater treatment plant in Owens Cross Roads will replace the city’s aging sewer system while taking a burden off Huntsville’s infrastructure, state and local officials said at a groundbreaking Friday.

The 40-year-old sewer system has been plagued by infiltration and inflow of stormwater into its sewer lines and lacks the capacity to treat the wastewater from its current residents and businesses, according to city officials.

About 60% of the city’s sewage volume is pumped into Huntsville’s sewer system under a 2019 agreement that will be canceled after construction is completed, Owens Cross Roads Mayor Tony Craig said in a news release.