Boil advisory fully rescinded for Wichita and neighboring communities

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - 2:45 p.m. Update Sunday - The KDHE has rescinded the boil water advisory for Sedgwick Co. RWD 2.

The advisory is no longer in effect for any community.

2:00 p.m. Update Saturday - The KDHE has rescinded the boil water advisory for Valley Center, Rose Hill and Sedgwick Co. RWD 1.

Sedgwick Co. RWD 2 remains under a boil water advisory.

9:08 p.m. Update Friday - The KDHE has rescinded the boil water advisory for the City of Derby and for Sedgwick County RWD 3. The following areas remain under advisories.

• Rose Hill
• Valley Center
• Sedgwick Co. RWD 1
• Sedgwick Co. RWD 2

8:30 p.m. Update Friday - The KDHE has rescinded a boil water advisory for the City of Bel Aire, Benton, Kechi and Park City. The following cities remain under advisories.

• Derby
• Rose Hill
• Valley Center
• Sedgwick Co. RWD 1
• Sedgwick Co. RWD 2
• Sedgwick Co. RWD 3

4:00 p.m. Update Friday - Following an update Thursday evening into a Wichita boil water advisory, 12 News is putting together a timeline of events that shows how the city reacted to the incident.

On Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m., the plant switched to back-up power because storms were coming. Wichita city officials said it is harder on the equipment if normal power fails and the switch is done automatically, and they like to test the backup power during storms anyway. Around this time, there was a quick loss of power, described as a ‘blip’ by the city. The city is still investigating what happened.

At 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, operators noticed another loss of power. Power was restored, then it was lost again, and again restored around 5:45 a.m.

During this time, the equipment had to be recalibrated and reset. Water pressure was back by 6:15 a.m., but any time the system drops below 20 psi, a boil water advisory can be suggested. The city is not sure how much of the system went below that 20 psi.

City officials said load testing was completed Friday morning, and they hope to have a report on Monday, sharing details about the power loss at Tuesday’s City Council Workshop.

5:30 p.m. Thursday Update - The boil-water advisory for the City of Wichita has been rescinded by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

However, the Boil Water Advisory previously issued for Sedgwick Co RWD 1, Sedgwick Co RWD 2, Sedgwick Co RWD 3, City of Rose Hill, City of Park City, City of Benton, City of Derby, City of Valley Center, City of Bel Aire, and City of Kechi remains in effect and precautions should continue to be followed as outlined in the previously issued advisory.

Follow-up testing for communities that get their water from Wichita may not clear the advisory until the weekend.

In a Friday morning update for its residents, the City of Valley Center shared the following guidance, a situation similar to the other impacted communities:

As a City of Wichita wholesale water customer, KDHE has advised that Wichita must first lift its boil water advisory before Valley Center can complete the required testing and verification to lift ours. Wichita lifted their Advisory around 5:30 pm on September 17th. Based on the process, Valley Center will now deliver water samples on Friday September 18th. Testing cannot occur until 24 hours after samples have been taken. Saturday, September 19th is currently the earliest likely date Valley Center’s boil water advisory can be lifted.

Laboratory testing of drinking water samples collected from the City of Wichita indicated no evidence of bacteriological contamination, and all other conditions that placed the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be resolved.

Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind notice following testing at a certified laboratory.

3:30 p.m. Thursday update - The City of Wichita hopes to have final water sample test results by 5:30 p.m. following a boil water advisory issued early Wednesday morning.

As of 3 p.m., city officials reported that 40 water sample tests were complete and under review by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. KDHE will conduct a final review before deciding whether to rescind or extend the advisory.

City crews collected samples from 195 water testing stations on Wednesday.

“Tests must be incubated for 24 hours to ensure no contamination,” city officials said in a statement. “Yesterday, batches of test water were collected at different times throughout the afternoon as staff traveled to each testing station. This means that final test results are available at different times this afternoon.”

KDHE officials are coordinating with city staff for a 5:30 p.m. meeting to review all test results and make a determination.

11:20 a.m. Thursday update - The City of Wichita advised that the city’s boil water advisory could be lifted as early as this afternoon or early evening, depending on testing results from the KDHE.

The advisory could end for everyone, continue for everyone or conclude for some customers and continue for others, depending on what’s found.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) will decide when it’s safe to lift the advisory.

Early Thursday morning Update - A boil water advisory remains in effect for about 500,000 people in the Wichita metro.

Following testing from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, we could learn this afternoon whether water is safe to drink. The boil water advisory went into effect Wednesday morning following a power outage at Wichita’s water treatment facility.

5:08 p.m. Update - The City of Wichita said water testing is complete and tests have been sent to the lab. The City expects to receive results of the tests the afternoon of Thursday, September 17.

Next steps will be considered once results are received, the city said. Only the Kansas Department of Health and Environment can issue an order rescinding the boil advisory following testing at a certified laboratory.

If no contamination is found, the boil advisory could be lifted by KDHE. If contamination is found, the boil order could be extended another 24 hours for the entire system, or it could be isolated to specific parts of the city that could be impacted, according to the city.

8:30 a.m. Update - The City of Wichita said water sampling is the top priority as it works to resolve an issue a boil water advisory impacting about 500,000 of its water customers.

This includes most of Wichita’s metro area

Wichita Public Works Director Gary Janzen expanded on the earlier confirmation that the loss of water pressure and the ensuing boil advisory originated with a power outage at the city’s current water treatment plant.

Janzen said the more-than-80-year-old plant was being powered with backup generators due to Tuesday night’s storms.

He said city staff is working to identify why the backup generators failed and emphasized that this was not due to an issue to the plant itself.

The widespread impact includes some of Wichita’s elementary school students. There is no school for USD 259 elementary schools that start at 9 a.m. Message from Wichita Public Schools:

No school for any 9 a.m. start WPS elementary schools today, Wednesday, Sept. 16, due to the boil water advisory. Students at latchkey at these schools will need to be picked up as soon as possible.

Determinations about Sept. 17 and after-school events will be made when more information is available.

Schools that are already in session and 9 a.m. secondary start schools will continue as normal.

On its website, the City of Wichita provided a list of answers to commonly asked questions.

FAQ:

• This boil advisory has nothing to do with signing the certificate of occupancy at the new plant – the current main water treatment plant experienced a power outage in the early hours of September 16 that necessitated the boil advisory.
• The outage occurred at roughly 5 a.m. the morning of September 16. Power was out an estimated 45 minutes; however, staff are still investigating. 
• The safety of our water is of utmost importance, and a charge we take very seriously. If there is any potential for contamination, we will not gamble with our community’s safety. 
• We have 195 water testing stations across the community. 
• Water tests will go to a lab to be tested for bacteria and chlorine levels. It will be 24 hours before the City gets results back from the time they are tested. 
• Only KDHE can rescind the water boil advisory.
• All wholesale customers and restaurants are under the same advisory. 
• For communities who receive city of Wichita water, check with your local municipalities on whether you are under a boil advisory.
• Well water users do not need to boil their water. 
• Showering is fine. Washing dishes is fine only if your dishwasher reaches up to 150 degrees. 
• Laundry is also fine, but if washing children’s clothes be careful that they are not of the age that they may chew on their clothes. 
• Water filters such as Britas or refrigerator filters are not sufficient to keep water safe. 
• Boil advisory prioritizes human health. If you have concerns about your pet’s health, consult your veterinarian. 
• We have an emergency water plan in place in case the boil advisory is prolonged. 
• At that time, we would activate emergency water stations for those who cannot boil their water or find bottled water. 
• Ensuring that no bacteria are present and our water is safe for the community is our top priority, and we will continue to update as we learn more.

Update: The City of Wichita issued a boil water advisory for its water customers following a reported loss of power at its main water treatment plant and Hess pump station.

The city’s current (in-use) water treatment plant is more than 80 years old. The city has taken over operation of its new water treatment plant, but the new facility isn’t scheduled to go online until the second quarter of 2027.

The advisory handed down Wednesday morning follows widespread reports about low and lost water pressure across the city.

The City of Wichita is holding a press conference concerning the water issue at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall. You’ll be able to view that press conference in the video above or in the player below:

The City of Wichita advised that with the advisory, its water customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:

• Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
• Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
• Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.

Further guidance from the City of Wichita:

Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory. The City will provide regular updates on the boil advisory but cannot provide a time when the advisory will be rescinded at this time.

For consumer questions, City of Wichita at (316) 265-1300, or KDHE at (785) 296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage: http://www.kdheks.gov/pws/emergencyresponse/water_disruption.htm

Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at kda.fsl@ks.gov or call 785-564-6767.

Residents on the east and west sides of Wichita are experiencing lowered or lost water pressure early Wednesday morning.

As of 6 a.m., 12 News contacted city officials, who confirmed that work is underway to address the apparent widespread problem. As of 6:15, the city hasn’t identified the source of the lowered and lost pressure.

While it’s unclear exactly how many Wichita water customers are impacted by the pressure problem, viewers from across the city have reached out to 12 News.