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Environmental services reports rise in wastewater permits, outlines nuisance cleanups and grant use
Summary
Northeast Kansas Environmental Services told the Atchison County Commission it handled 31 new wastewater permit applications in 2025 (up from 18 in 2024), completed 16 final permits, performed 11 property resale evaluations and used a $75,000 grant to fund four wastewater-system installations across five counties; staff described several nuisance properties being addressed.
Martha Smith, director of Northeast Kansas Environmental Services, briefed the Atchison County Commission on April 21 about the agency’s 2025 activities and ongoing nuisance-property work.
Smith said the agency permitted 31 new wastewater systems in 2025, up from 18 in 2024. She said 16 systems achieved final-use permits during the year, and that the office conducted 11 property-resale wastewater evaluations — inspections requested during real-estate transactions — and performed eight private-well water checks in 2024. Smith described routine consultations to help property owners plan septic locations and noted that permit processing can take about a year from application to installation.
Smith reviewed several nuisance properties the agency is pursuing: inoperable vehicles and car parts on the edge of town (now partially screened by a fence), an unsecured trailer with a blown-off roof, accumulated trash outside city limits, a site in the Potter area with solid-waste piles and wastewater discharging in a road ditch, and other overgrown or abandoned properties. For one owner with wastewater discharging into a ditch, the agency said it would offer grant funding to install a compliant system; contractors will schedule when available.
On funding, Smith said the regional program received $75,000 this fiscal year and that grant dollars are being used across five counties; the agency has funded four wastewater-system installations from that pot so far. She warned that septic-system installation costs can exceed $20,000, which quickly depletes limited grant dollars.
Commissioners asked about coordination with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on nuisance and cleanup programs; Smith said the county typically takes the lead on nuisance enforcement while the agency helps identify eligible properties for KDHE funding and provides letters and contacts to property owners and other county offices.
Why it matters: Rising permit activity signals new construction and replacement of failing systems in unincorporated parts of the county; targeted grant funds and coordinated enforcement are being used to address public-health and environmental risks from failing wastewater systems.
What happens next: Staff said they will continue casework on the nuisance list, pursue grant opportunities and provide commissioners copies of letters sent to property owners when enforcement actions begin.
