A major, 3-year push to improve water service across Emporia is now done.
The city of Emporia had a ribbon-cutting ceremony this week to celebrate the “substantial completion” phase for the Southeast Transmission waterline replacement project, ending a nearly year-long project that had work from 12th and Garfield to South and Carter. Over 24,000 linear feet of new pipe was installed, along with over 220 new service lines and related water infrastructure work.
The work also follows almost a year’s worth of construction for the 24th and Prairie waterline project, which saw new, larger pipe installed from the Water Treatment Plant near 24th and Industrial east to Prairie and south to 12th. That project ended as Southeast began.
Phase 1 of this round of work dates back to 2024, when the city installed larger pipe on Peyton Street as a way to link the city’s water towers — but Southeast actually became Phases 13-15 of major water improvements dating back to 2017, shortly after a massive water main failure near 15th and Prairie. Besides replacing water pipes that were at times over 100 years old, the work over the last decade has been designed to improve water pressure and consistency across town, especially to the city’s biggest water users in Industrial Park III in far southeast Emporia.
