Wichita lands $191 million EPA loan to reduce sewage stench, improve Arkansas River water
The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the city of Wichita a $191 million loan to improve the quality of treated sewage the city discharges into the Arkansas River, a major tributary of the Mississippi River.
The federal WIFIA loan covers up to 49% of the cost of the project, putting the estimated total cost at or above $391 million. The low-interest loan is expected to save the city $89 million compared to what it would cost without federal assistance.
The city’s biological nutrient removal project is also expected to reduce sewage odors in south Wichita. City Manager Robert Layton has said the wastewater treatment improvements will reduce odor by 98%. City officials say construction could be finished as early as 2027.
“This project comes with significant improvements not just to water quality but to smell, and that helps us increase the quality of life specifically in south Wichita, which also increases the economic value of the houses that will be in those areas,” Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said at his Thursday morning briefing.
The loan will help pay for improvements to two south Wichita wastewater facilities — plant 1, situated between I-135 and K-15, and plant 2 at 57th Street South and Hydraulic — which process 90% of the city’s raw sewage.
“This WIFIA loan will help the City of Wichita upgrade two critical wastewater facilities, advancing technologies for water reuse and reducing the nutrient loads in the Arkansas River and Mississippi River Basin, which will help improve water quality for Wichita and many other communities,” the EPA’s news release said.
After passing through Wichita, where the city dumps millions of gallons of treated wastewater into it, the Arkansas River winds through small and large cities throughout Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas — including Tulsa, Fort Smith and Little Rock — before flowing into the Mississippi River.
The BNR project is not related to Wichita’s drinking water system, which is also undergoing a massive federally financed reboot that includes the Northwest Water Treatment Facility. Combined, the two projects are expected to cost water and sewer customers more than $1 billion over the next four decades.
The impetus for the major infrastructure project is compliance with future environmental standards for nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater. Too much nitrogen and phosphorus in the water causes algae to grow faster than ecosystems can handle, according to the EPA, which is harmful to water quality, habitats and aquatic species. Nitrogen pollution has also been linked to “blue baby syndrome,” when red blood cells don’t carry oxygen well.
Wichita discharges more than three times the amount of nitrogen and four times the amount of phosphorus into the Arkansas River than will be allowed by 2027.
U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall and U.S. Rep. Ron Estes of Wichita celebrated the loan in a joint news release. They submitted a letter of support along with the city’s application in 2021.
“Access to clean water is critical for Kansas communities and their long-term success,” Moran said in the statement. “Improving and updating Wichita’s water system is an important investment in the future of our state. This project will create new jobs for the community and sustain future growth as the City of Wichita continues to expand.”
“I applaud the work of our Wichita city leaders and their advocacy for improvements in the wastewater treatment facility,” Marshall said. “This investment will ensure that all residents continue to have access to clean, safe drinking water. The project will improve water quality in the Arkansas River and Mississippi River Basin, building upon the city’s efforts to improve water quality across Wichita from all water and wastewater systems.”
“Clean water is essential for families, businesses and economic growth in our region, and this loan for Wichita’s Biological Nutrient Removal Improvements Program will be helpful in securing water infrastructure for today and years to come,” Estes said.
This story was originally published April 20, 2023 at 3:24 PM.