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Rick Morgan

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Wichita officials talk about plans for new water plant

Wichita officials talk about plans for new water plant

Wichita officials talk about plans for new water plant

Wichita mayor Jeff Longwell says the city’s water system is not at imminent risk of failing, and he said staff has taken steps over the past eight years to make sure residents have water when they want it and when they need it.

The mayor was responding to a Wichita Eagle article from July 21st that he said gave residents concern that they could lose their water service at any minute.   Longwell said at his weekly news conference Thursday that the city has invested millions of dollars into the Equus Bed aquifer, water mains and other infrastructure.   He said staff works hard day and night to make sure the water is running, and since 2011 there has not been a single interruption of service and residents have not been asked to boil water.   Longwell also pointed out that the city now ranks in the top ten for cities with the lowest water rates.

The mayor said the city has an old water treatment plant that needs to be replaced, and a process is underway to do that.

Public works director Alan King said the city will be using a federal grant that will help with the construction of a new plant that is expected to cost around $500 million.  A design team is working to have 30 percent of the design ready to present to the city council in October, along with a guaranteed maximum price.    If the council approves, the project will go into phase two that will lead to a groundbreaking for the plant late in 2020.   The plant will be constructed on city-owned property at 21st and Hoover Road.

King said without the federal grant, the city would have to wait seven years to build a new treatment plant without having a dramatic effect on water rates.   He said there is a significant risk with the current facility, which was originally built in 1939, and the city is taking that seriously.  He said there will be more failures at the plant and staff is prepared to deal with them, but it does show the need to build a new plant.

(above photo shows an early concept drawing for a new water treatment plant in Wichita)

 

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