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City updates repair timeline for new water treatment plant; ownership to transfer after performance testing
Summary
City staff and Wichita Water Partners reported clarifier inspections, temporary repairs and a phased installation of new upper draft tubes; full city takeover remains contingent on successful performance testing and acceptance, and Wichita Water Partners retains repair costs, staff said.
City staff and contractor representatives gave the Wichita City Council a progress update on repairs at the new water treatment plant and clarified the conditions for the city to take operational control.
Gary Jansen (Public Works, speaker 18) and Ron Coker (Burns & McDonnell / Wichita Water Partners, speaker 19) summarized inspection work and repairs at the plant's six clarifiers. Coker said wash-down inspections and coating repairs are underway and that one clarifier had been temporarily repaired to simulate the permanent fix; that temporary clarifier has been operating since late February to support staff training and process testing.
Coker described a vendor (Westech) repair threshold: "if there's any more than a sixteenth of an inch of material loss, it requires a repair," and said the team is reviewing whether that threshold and associated repair approach are adequate. Council members pressed the team on whether the interference between the upper draft tube and the mixer might have caused damage beyond allowable material loss; staff said additional vendor clarifications are being sought.
On schedule, staff said materials for some upper draft tubes are on site and initial installations are expected in April with the first performance testing and acceptance activities (PTAs) beginning as early as April and continuing into May, subject to inspections and schedule flex. City Manager (speaker 16) and Gary Jansen emphasized the city will not accept ownership of the plant until all contract requirements and performance testing criteria are met; Jansen said repair costs are the responsibility of Wichita Water Partners and not the city or ratepayers.
Council asked about warranties and operating costs; Jansen said clarifiers will have a two-year warranty once the city takes possession and that ongoing operating costs and rate-structure adjustments are included in the city's planning for the plant. Staff said discussions on claims for delay-related costs are ongoing in parallel with repair and acceptance activities.
Council will receive monthly updates as repairs progress and the project advances toward performance testing and formal acceptance.
