Oakley hears detailed plan and timeline for new water treatment plant; KDHE review underway

Consultants from Wilson & Company presented a site plan and alignment layout for Oakley’s proposed water treatment plant and the supply lines that will run from each well to the plant. The firm told the council it submitted plans to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) for review and has "received recently in the last couple weeks here, we've received comments from them," and expects waterline approval within weeks and plant comments to be resolved by December.

Presenters said they are preparing two bid packages — one for the treatment plant and one for distribution lines — so contractors without both specialties can bid on part of the work. That approach, they said, is intended to increase competition and lower costs. They outlined a phased startup during which some wells will remain on the existing system while others are transitioned to the plant to avoid a complete service outage. "You'll be able to run like you are currently," a consultant said, describing a staged sequence to keep some wells active while the plant comes online.

Project funding and schedule were discussed at length. Presenters said KDHE requires a loan agreement in advance of bidding; as soon as the loan agreement was available they submitted plans. They noted the KDHE loan and grant structure will limit the project budget and that the water office or other grants could be pursued later for distribution work or AMR (automated meter reading) deployments. The consultants encouraged the council to commission a rate analysis (staff referred to a possible review by Beth Warren) before bids are opened so the city understands debt-service impacts and how much should be set aside yearly for capital improvements.

Operational details raised by council members included generator exercise timing (the consultants said the generator will be exercised weekly during startup), telemetry and controls transfer to the plant, brine/salt handling for the softening/regeneration process, and the volume and frequency of waste hauling from the plant’s waste tank. Presenters named a controls integrator, Brian Crane of Kansas City, as the recommended remote support contact for treatment-side controls.

No formal action was taken; council members thanked the presenters and indicated readiness to move to advertising and bidding once KDHE approvals and loan documentation are finalized. The consultants recommended leaving bid dates flexible so contractors can indicate realistic start dates in their bids.