A new nearly $136 million water treatment plant is one of three potential options now being considered by City of Emporia leadership following a review of a water treatment plant master plan Wednesday afternoon.
The plan, developed by Burns and McDonnell, provided a detailed assessment of the city’s water treatment plant, its equipment and facilities. Those assessments have been underway over the past year; however, the need for the plan dates back just a bit further to 2024, when the city of Emporia found itself under a boil-water advisory lasting longer than a week in November due to mechanical failures at the plant.
Burns and McDonnell Client Coordinator Jake White says there were three critical components to the assessment of the facility.
The assessment essentially found several deficiencies inside the plant due to a variety of factors, with the most common denominator being the age of the infrastructure. When asked how he would rate the current state of the plant on a scale of 1-10, Plant Manager Jack Mason said it would be between a 2 or 3.
Following Wednesday’s presentation, commissioners were given three options on how they could proceed with varying price ranges:
Option 1: Heavy rehab of the facility – Nearly $74 million
Option 2: Retrofitting the facility – Just under $85 million
Option 3: Building a completely new plant – Nearly $136 million
During his comments Wednesday, it was clear where Mason leaned in terms of options, saying option three would be the best choice moving forward.
No decisions have been made on the matter and City Manager Trey Cocking says there likely won’t be any major action for at least six months. During that time, the city will need to assess several matters, starting with affordability.
While it is too early to say where the commission may lean, Cocking says it is not out of the realm of possibility to do a combination of all three presented options in the future.
The Water Treatment Master Plan was one of three study items for the city as part of their regular meeting slate on Wednesday. Additional items included discussions on extending alcohol sales hours between June 11th and July 19th from 6 am to 5 am due to an expected uptick in visitors for the FIFA World Cup.
Commissioners did not render a decision on this matter and it is expected to come back for final action in two weeks. That said, multiple commissioners did not seem on board with the idea, nor did local law enforcement, with Emporia Police Captain Scott Stormont expressing department concerns regarding overconsumption and issues that could arise as a result, saying, “I have been in a lot of bars at 2 am and never saw someone I thought needed to consume more than they already had.”
Commissioners also held discussions on stormwater issues within the Becker Addition with residents of said addition.
The study meeting followed a lengthy action session with 14 items presented for consideration, all of which were approved. The items approved were as follows:
*Resolution authorizing the city manager to award up to $300,000 in grant funding to HDR Engineering Inc. Collaboration with the Federal Highway Administration and KDOT
*Resolution stating the city’s support for the 2026 Kansas Department of Transportation Alternatives Safe Routes to School grant
Implementation of the study. Showing support from the city commission for the implementation of the study, $1.25 million, with KDOT paying $1 million and the city’s cost share of $250,000
*Pavement preservation project – awarded project to APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division for the base bid and all three add alternatives for $170,792.15
*Ordinance rezoning property at 615 Overlander Road from Lyon County Light Industrial to City of Emporia Light Industrial.
*Ordinance granting a conditional use permit for Flint Hills Technical College at 615 Overlander Road for precision agg and CDL training.
*Conditional use permit for outdoor recreational vehicle storage at 2606 West Highway 50 for Flint Hills Technical College.
*Ordinance granting Evergy Central, Inc. an electric franchise. 10-year agreement with a five-year reopener and a 6 percent franchise fee.
*Ordinance authorizing and providing for the issuance of general obligation bonds.
*Resolution prescribing the form and details authorizing the sale and delivery of general obligation bonds
*Jones Aquatic Center agreement for 2026 swim season.
The Emporia City Commission will reconvene for its next regular meeting slate on Wednesday, May 20th at 11 am inside the Municipal Courtroom at White Auditorium.
