According to Halliburton's report, a 3,550-foot well could last 25 years. The well and pipeline from the plant would cost about $192,550.

The initiating steps had been taken, but now the city had to wait for the paperwork. In the interim, additional pressure was placed on the city. On May 12, 1971, Gray sent notices to fourteen Kansas cities, including Wichita, warning that alternate disposal methods would have to be found by December 31, 1975, when Kansas cities and industries would have to meet new water quality standards adopted by the State Board of Health at the insistence of the federal government. Hess informed the press that an application for federal funds for the deep well dispersal system was being prepared, and would be sent to the state for approval and then forwarded to the federal government later in the month.

Due to inherent delays, Hess was not confident of completion by the December 31 deadline. He reported on May 21 that he would seek a federal permit to allow the discharge of the sludge until other methods of disposal were ready. According to federal law, July 1 was the deadline for permits to allow the discharge, and all existing outlets would be covered by these permits. The initial outlet would cost $100, and all others $150 under each permit. Hess suspected the Corps of Engineers would be reluctant to issue the permits since the Kansas Board of Health had already declared the sludge a pollutant. However, an interim permit could be given based on the good faith demonstrated by the city.

While the city waited for funding approval for the deep well project by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a shift in policy occurred once again. In December, 1971, three commissioners elected after the decision to pursue the deep well system, James Donnell, Garry Potter, and Jack Shanahan, reopened the case. Concern had risen over the unintended consequences of piping the sludge underground, reviving the subject of a recalcining plant. Newspaper editorials supported the move, claiming the plant would be the best and least dangerous alternative. Although Hess reported he was proceeding with the dispersal well, he still believed the plant would be the best long range solution. At the same time, he felt if the wells were not successful the plant could be built later.

The issue was discussed at length by the City Commission on January 18, 1972. No action was taken, however, other than to receive and file a report on costs of various alternatives. Mayor Jack Greene recommended the Water Department proceed with its plans to drill a deep well for sludge disposal and report in six months with any additional information. Problems of cost and funding again arose when Hess reported that the federal government would not fund recalcining plants competing with private lime producers. Delamater still supported use of the sludge for other purposes, although no decision was made. The city took a wait-and-see attitude on the long-standing problem.

The issue resurfaced in early October, 1972, when the city learned that its application for $697,368 in federal funds to construct the deep well was denied on the basis that well disposal was "against national policy." (Eagle, 11/21/72). The denial left the city with little choice but to plan on local financing. Hess reported on November 20, 1972, that both Black and Veatch and Halliburton had been instructed to complete the plans and specifications on the project. Half a year later bids were taken on the project.

In July, 1973, bids were opened. On the 13th, the city Board of Bids and Contracts approved the low bid of $756,000 from the Dondlinger and Sons Construction Company for the construction of two thickening tanks, 60 feet in diameter and 18 feet deep, which would help prepare the sludge for disposal in the 3500-foot well. The one bid received for drilling the disposal well was rejected, since it exceeded the engineer's estimate, and no bids were received for equipping the well, requiring both to be readvertised. The project finally got underway, although slowly, and would be completed prior to the December 31, 1975, deadline.

The contract came up for approval by the City Commission on July 31. Questions, particularly by the Kansas Geological Survey, were again raised about the possible environmental effect of pumping lime sludge into the ground. As a result, the decision was delayed. The following week, on August 7, the contract for the thickening facility was approved unanimously, but only after it was clear that the process would be required for either disposal or reprocessing.

The discussion continued over the wisdom of the deep well disposal system. While no direct action was taken, the staff was instructed to apply again for EPA funds to help finance a plant. Water Department Operations Chief Engineer John Wynkoop said the EPA policy might have changed and funds could be available. Although the well was still in the planning stages, the action clearly indicated a weakening of support.

On September 18, 1973, final approval was given by the commission for a $2.7 million application for federal funds for the recalcining plant. The Beacon reported on the 21st that the city was delaying drilling the deep well because it had learned that the federal government had changed its policy against funding recalcining plants. Hess helped to instigate the change when he spoke at a regional meeting of the National Society of Professional Engineers a few weeks before. He told how the federal government required lime to be disposed, but yet refused to fund either a recalcining plant, as competing with private interests, or a deep well system, as too experimental. "They have rules against doing it the wrong way," Hess was quoted as saying, "and rules against doing it the right way." In response, a regional EPA official, Chuck Wright of Kansas City, informed the group in a "red-faced reply," that Wichita now had an eligible project in the recalcining plant "because the national policy has been changed." Hess still was not totally optimistic, claiming, "We've been notified that the project is now eligible, but it's a battle of priorities. There are $27 million in applications for water quality projects in Kansas and the state is only getting $11.4 million. Lime sludge disposal has a low priority." With this new information, the deep well project was delayed while the other alternatives were explored. By this time the deadline for the lime disposal had been changed to July 1, 1977, giving the city more time. (Beacon, 9/21/73).

The prospect of federal money changed in 1974. Wynkoop announced on March 4 that more than $50 million in federal funds would be coming to Kansas to construct water disposal systems, significantly enhancing Wichita's chances. At the same time, however, the energy crisis created fears that the recalcining plant would have difficulties because of the large amounts of natural gas used to burn the sludge. Although many questions remained, little was done for a long time.

The deep well project was finally abandoned on February 19, 1975, when the City Commission approved the city's 1975-1980 capital improvement plan (CIP). Despite having spent $40,000 studying the deep well disposal concept, the funds to construct the system were not included