Wichita's ambitious new water treatment plant—the city's largest public works project ever at approximately $500 million—won't be operational by year's end due to mechanical problems with critical equipment, officials announced Wednesday.
The facility's builder, Wichita Water Partners (WWP), informed city officials of mechanical failures affecting the plant's clarifiers, which are responsible for removing suspended solids during the treatment process. According to the city, these clarifiers rank among the largest in the nation.
This marks the second delay in 2025 alone. The city had originally planned to assume control of the plant after testing in April, but that timeline was pushed to December. Now, completion has been delayed indefinitely beyond 2025.
City council members and staff expressed strong frustration with what they called "the continued pattern of missed deadlines" from WWP. However, officials assured residents that ratepayers won't incur additional costs from this latest setback.
WWP has acknowledged responsibility for the delays and is bringing in an independent expert to investigate the cause of the clarifier failures. The company is expected to provide the city with a detailed repair plan and updated timeline within the coming weeks.
City officials emphasized they won't take ownership of the facility until they have complete confidence in its reliability and performance. Despite the setbacks, ensuring the plant functions properly remains the top priority before transferring control to municipal authorities.