Unlike Chase County, Emporia city officials aren’t telling residents to conserve water on a long-term basis just yet as drought continues — but they are tracking the situation closely and they are grateful residents complied a short-term request for conservation late last month.
Public Works Director Dean Grant admits things were “a little nerve-wracking” when a combination of extreme heat and heavy water demand completely drained the water storage tank outside Industrial Park 3 and brought the East 12th water tower down to about a third of its capacity.
Emporia residents and businesses were asked to conserve for about a week in late August. Chase County, however, has been in a water warning for nearly a month and a near-total burn ban for over a week.
With two massive water main improvement projects already slated for construction the next three to four years, Grant reminded residents the city doesn’t use general fund dollars to make repairs as needed.
The city is getting ready for the 24th Avenue waterline replacement project to begin as soon as late this year or early next year. This involves a transmission line from the Water Treatment Plant east along 24th and then south on Prairie to 12th, as well as connections near the main construction zone to improve reliability for residential and business customers. Work will take about a year to complete.
Following that will be the Southeast Transmission Main Project, going from 12th and Garfield ultimately to the Industrial Park 3 water tower. The design phase will last up to 18 months, with construction likely starting in 2025 and taking another two to three years to complete after the design phase is done.
