Properties to be hooked up to Haysville water because of contaminated groundwater

About 220 properties in and near Haysville will be hooked up to city water because of contaminated groundwater in the area.

The contamination, which is composed of dry cleaning solvents tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene, started at the former American Cleaners dry cleaning site at 412 West Grand Avenue.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said Tuesday that only 174 agreements have been returned to the department. Anyone within the plume of groundwater contamination or a 500-foot buffer must return those documents in order to be hooked up to city water. The contamination is most strongly concentrated north of 79th Street.

Officials expect to complete the water connections in six to nine months.

In some cases, private wells were found to have contamination above the level deemed acceptable for consumption by the Environmental Protection Agency. KDHE has provided bottled water for homes with contaminated wells until they can be connected up to city water.

KDHE will cover the nearly $5 million cost of extending water lines to affected residents.

The city requires an additional $25 fee for account setup, something residents protested, saying they didn’t have a choice whether to hook up to city water.

Bob Jurgens, deputy bureau director of environmental remediation, spoke with the city of Haysville during the meeting and said KDHE would cover that cost and reimburse anyone who had already paid the $25.

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Properties to be hooked up to Haysville water because of contaminated groundwater."