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Newton staff outline water and wastewater upgrades: new meters, lead-and-copper inventory and First Street tanks
Summary
Public works staff told commissioners crews cleaned the entire sewer system in 2024, replaced key meters and are converting most water meters to radios while preparing for federal lead-and-copper requirements and testing new First Street water tanks.
Public works staff told the City Commission Thursday that wastewater and water divisions are pursuing system upgrades and compliance work that will affect operations and costs in 2025–26.
Wastewater staff said the division maintains more than 100 miles of sewer, eight lift stations and a 24/7 treatment plant. "We treat that per KDHE and EPA standards, and we, we generally come in well below what our permit asks us to do," the presenter said, noting the department replaced eight flow meters at the plant and cleaned roughly 500,000 feet of sewer line in 2024.
On water, staff outlined a multiyear meter conversion and a response to the EPA/state lead-and-copper rule. Technicians converted the majority of residential and commercial meters to radio read technology; staff said all but about 50–75 meters now report by radio, and that roughly 3,000 meters still require a hardware upgrade to enable programming changes (for example, switching meter readouts from cubic feet to gallons).
"We converted all of the residential and commercial water meters to radios with the exception of about 50," the presenter said. Later in the session the speaker said about 75 meters remained nonradio; staff characterized the difference as a small-count exception tied to specialized or backup meters.
Staff described the lead-and-copper work as an inventory and an evolving regulatory requirement. "We had to make take an inventory of the entire city, every service line," the presenter said. The city will not publish a constantly updated spreadsheet by link on the website, staff said, because the inventory is a living document; instead they plan to make the data available at the service center upon request.
On meters and customer service, staff explained the new radio system collects reads every 15 minutes and can highlight abnormal usage quickly, which helps staff spot leaks sooner. The department ordered 1,500 replacement meters in 2025 and plans another 1,500 in 2026 to complete the hardware phase required before a systemwide programming change.
Public works also reported progress on water storage: the first new First Street tank is operating and the second tank erection is complete. Staff said they hope to fill and test the new tank mid-June and place both new tanks into service shortly thereafter.
Staff cautioned about operational challenges including recruitment and retention of certified staff (CDL and other certifications are required for crews), longer lead times for equipment, and potential commodity-price or tariff impacts to pipe and pump costs.
No formal policy choices or funding decisions were made at the session; staff said details, including costs and timing for the remaining meter replacements and lead-and-copper compliance steps, will appear in department budgets and capital plans.
