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Osawatomie under boil water notice, new water plant still 4 years away

Sakege November 9, 2024

KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. Share your story idea with Ryan.

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Osawatomie, Kansas Deputy City Manager Michele Silsbee says the city’s water is safe to drink after boiling.

“I’m sure boiling it is the appropriate precaution so we can use it until we can lift the warning.”

Ryan and Silsbee — KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa asked Osawatomie Deputy City Manager Michele Silsbee if she would encourage her family to drink boiled water from the city tap. She replied: “100%…”

This week, technicians at the City of Osawatomie’s water treatment facility encountered a mechanical problem in residents’ first line of defense in cleaning their drinking water.

“This was created by a mechanical failure in our pre-sedimentation basin. It’s how we remove sludge from the water we draw from the river,” Silsbee said. “That piece failed and we couldn’t remove those things anymore.”

In September, KSHB 41 first reported about the Osawatomie City Council accepting $48 million in federal loans and grants to build a new water plant. The process to accept funding for modern facilities began in 2020. Nearly five years later, the city is only 30% of the way complete with engineering plans.

“We hope to have the plant operational within four years if everything continues to run smoothly,” Silsbee explained.

Pre-Sedimentation Basin — The City of Osawatomie was forced to implement an area-wide boil water advisory due to high turbidity rates in the city’s water supply.

Grant and loan dollars are awarded through USDA Rural Development. Over the course of the loan, the City of Osawatomie will gradually increase prices each year to pay off its debt. City Manager Bret Glendening told KSHB 41 that building its own water facility would create stability in utility rates for residents and in control of water distribution.

The Osawatomie Water Plant provides water to more than 4,000 residents, including Rural Water Districts 1 and 3, Osawatomie State Hospital, and a bulk water station for residents not connected to the Osawatomie water lines. city.

Currently, the water facility is producing water, but the equipment malfunction is not completely resolved.

“A lot of our stuff is original. Some is from the ’40s and some is from the ’60s. There aren’t many parts available to replace. When we don’t have something that’s exactly what we need, then we have to invent it,” Silsbee said. “The part that broke is not completely repaired yet because we are waiting for those parts to be operational again. In the meantime, we were able to get the base to the point where it can produce water.”

Marais des Cygnes River Dam - Osawatomie, KS — Marais des Cygnes River near Osawatomie, KS.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued a boil water advisory Thursday as a precaution. Silsbee says tap water, if boiled for one minute, is safe to consume. She says the water quality is at an appropriate level according to state regulations and technicians are awaiting results from the KDHE lab to lift the order.

Residents on Facebook were concerned about boiling tap water following a recent advisory issued by the city. KSHB 41 asked Silsbee to clear up the confusion.

Andrew Burkhart working at a water plant — Much of the City of Osawatomie’s water treatment facility is operated manually. Water Services Director Andrew Burkhart working in the basement of the distribution pump.

She responded: “We received a haloacetic acid reading that was elevated. Because the state regulates that on a moving average, we will take some samples within the regulated water to get rid of that high reading. We had to send a letter… In In that letter, it talks about how boiling water could address that problem, but at this time, haloacetic acid levels are within range and below the regulatory limit. There is no concern when boiling water.

Ryan and Burkhart Osawatomie Water Plant — KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa discusses the water purification process at the City of Osawatomie Water Treatment Facility. The current facilities were built in 1939.

According to Silsbee, the city notified residents immediately after KDHE issued a boil water notice.

“The moment we learned that the turbidity became high enough to indicate there might be a problem, KDHE was informed and KDHE issued the boil water advisory. We began notifying the city and Rural entities Water #3 about the problem.”

The City of Osawatomie anticipates the boil water advisory will be lifted by the end of Saturday. During Silsbee’s interview with KSHB 41, he said the water samples were on their way to the state lab in Topeka.

City leaders are actively working to accelerate the construction process of the new water treatment facility. The new plant is expected to be completed in 2028.

To view the full press release issued by the City of Osawatomie, Click here.

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