Today, the City of Lawrence joins elected officials, water utilities, community leaders, educators, and businesses from across the country as part of the seventh annual Imagine a Day Without Water, a nationwide day of education and advocacy about the value of water.
Led by the Value of Water Campaign, over 1,000 organizations across the country will join Imagine a Day Without Water to raise awareness about the role of water infrastructure in our lives and the importance of investment. The focus of this year’s event is to invite people to learn more about where our water comes from and where our wastewater goes.
In Lawrence, water treatment occurs at two water treatment plants before being distributed to customers through 570 miles of underground water main pipes. The Kaw River Water Treatment Plant opened in 1917 and has undergone many updates in its history. The Kaw Plant draws water from the Kansas River and six alluvial wells and treats an average of 4.7 million gallons per day. Additionally, the Clinton Reservoir Water Treatment Plant, opened in 1980, treats an average of 6.7 million gallons of water per day from the Clinton Reservoir.
“We’re fortunate to have two water treatment plants that utilize different sources of water here in Lawrence,” Municipal Services & Operations Assistant Director Trevor Flynn said. “This builds tremendous resiliency in our operations and how we can reliably deliver high-quality drinking water to our customers.”
Lawrence also has two wastewater treatment plants, the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant (opened in 1956) and the Wakarusa Wastewater Treatment Plant (opened in 2018). Combined, the two plants have an average daily flow of 10 million gallons. Once treated at these plants, the water discharges to the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers. The wastewater reaches the two treatment plants via 460 miles of collection pipes and 34 pump stations.
The Wakarusa Plant utilizes state-of-the-art treatment technologies to optimize the quality of water that is released into the Wakarusa River and is one of the best performing plants in the Midwest.
“We’re committed to improving and optimizing our treatment processes to protect the water quality of our receiving waters—the Kansas and Wakarusa Rivers, and ultimately, the Gulf of Mexico,” Flynn said. “This commitment will minimize our impact on the environment and our nation’s water sources.”
Water and wastewater treatment processes continue to become more complex with the continued expansion of regulatory compliance. In Lawrence, the Municipal Services & Operations Department is devoted to sustainability at the four treatment plants with equipment upgrades, process enhancements and innovative automation.
Currently, upgrades to the Kansas River Wastewater Treatment Plant are in the design phase and will be followed by several years of construction, with a project budget of $53.42M.
“All of these efforts wouldn’t be possible without the highly-trained, experienced and responsible staff we have working on our teams here in Lawrence,” Flynn said.
“We’re grateful to the City of Lawrence, Kansas, for being a part of this year’s Imagine a Day Without Water,” said Oluwole (OJ) McFoy, Board Chair of the US Water Alliance. “Raising awareness about the state of water infrastructure is a crucial step to ensuring water systems keep flowing for generations to come. Even though we cannot see the pipes and sewers beneath our feet, water cannot be taken for granted. High-quality water service is a critical part of every thriving community. Today we encourage everyone to take a minute to learn more about their local water system, where their drinking water comes from and where their wastewater goes.”
Imagine a Day Without Water was envisioned as an advocacy and education day that asked Americans to think about what it would mean to go without water for a day. There are already two million Americans living without water service, and with the stress of climate change and the challenges of maintaining water infrastructure that is a century-old in some places, there is growing concern about the stability of water supplies and service.
According to the 2021 Value of Water Index, 83 percent of Americans said ensuring a stable supply of water should be a top federal priority. They also ranked addressing water contamination and investing in infrastructure as top priorities. Learn more at imagineadaywithoutwater.org and follow the conversation on social media at #ValueWater.
Contact: Josh Carson, Public Information Officer, Municipal Services & Operations – jcarson@lawrenceks.org