Wichita city council members and project team leaders had a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a project to build a new water treatment plant.
Mayor Brandon Whipple said work has been underway at the site east of the intersection of 21st and Hoover Road. A groundbreaking was scheduled in April but it was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. He said there will be future events to celebrate the progress of construction.
Mayor Whipple said the Northwest Water Treatment Facility will replace an 80-year-old plant, and it will provide 120 million gallons of water per day for homes and businesses in the Wichita area. The city received a federal loan to begin construction, and the mayor said construction is starting seven years earlier because of the loan. He said ratepayers will save an estimated $97 million in the cost of the project. Wichita Public Works Director Alan King said the facility will provide water for local industry and it will provide jobs and economic stability.
Derby city manager Kathy Sexton said the plant will help her community and other cities and rural water districts who buy water from Wichita. She said the project will be critical for economic development and the future of the south central Kansas region.
Construction on the plant is expected to be completed in about five years.
