The city of Wichita will continue with plans to convert the existing water treatment plant to emergency use.
On Tuesday, the City Council approved a nearly $1.39 million contract that will develop up to 60% of the design plans and establish a guaranteed maximum price for the project.
Construction to convert the 1939-era plant would take around 2 years, but the work won’t begin until after the city takes ownership of the new Northwest water treatment facility.
That transfer has been delayed due to on-going issues with the clarifiers at the new plant.
Gary Janzen, Director of Public Works, says the problem has been traced back to a design issue. Three separate vendors have been hired to provide independent analysis and the city hopes to get those results back in the next two weeks.
Pending verification of the studies, it’s likely that new parts won't be constructed and installed until summer, with additional testing to follow. Janzen says he doesn't think it's likely that the city takes ownership before the end of the year.
He reiterated that since that hasn't happened, all costs to repair the faulty parts are the responsibility of the construction teams, with no extra cost to the city or rate payers.