Public Water Supply

Equus Beds Aquifer Storage & Recovery Project

The City of Wichita is taking a proactive approach to meeting future water demand.

Water is essential to life. It is a precious limited resource that we take for granted. When we turn on our faucets, we expect water to rush out. We rarely give thought to the five to eight gallons of water we use each minute of a shower. And we jump into swimming pools on hot summer days without any worry of them ever going dry.

The reality, though, is that water is not a unlimited resource, and that is why the City of Wichita is taking steps now to ensure that we have enough water to meet our needs through the year 2050.

Wichita's Water Utilities Department began to look for new water sources beginning in the early 1990's, whenthe City developed the Integrated Local Water Supply Plan. At the heart of this plan is the Equus Beds Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Project.

The ASR Project involves pumping water out of the Little Arkansas River following periods of heavy rainfall, treating it to drinking-water quality, and injecting it into the Equus Beds aquifer, a major source of Wichita's water. The water is stored in the aquifer - an underground layer of sand and gravel that can hold water - until it is needed (see how it works). The project will ultimately put up to 100 million gallons of water a day into the aquifer - water that can be recovered by wells and sent to Wichita and its customers.

The City estimates that when fully implemented, 65 billion gallons of water will be stored in the Equus Beds. That is about the same amount of water that Cheney Reservoir holds.

Program Overview

Wichita Aquifer Storage Recovery (ASR)

Program Partners

Bureau of Reclamation KSDA - Division of Water Resources Equus Beds Groundwater Management District No. 2 KDHE - Bureau of Water Kansas Water Office US Environmental Protection Agency USGS Equus Bed Groundwater Recharge Project REAP of South Central Kansas

​Boil Water Advisory​

In the event of a boil water advisory, 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.

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.

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: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Consumer-Information-Regarding-a-Disrup

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.

En el caso de un aviso de hervir el agua, clientes deben observar las siguientes precauciones hasta nuevo aviso:

• Hierva el agua por un minuto antes de beber o preparar alimentos o use agua embotellada.
• Deseche los cubitos de hielo y no use hielo de una máquina de hacer hielo doméstica.
• Desinfecte utensilios y otras superficies en contacto con los alimentos sumergiéndolos durante al menos un minuto en agua limpia del que contenga una cucharadita de blanqueador sin perfume por galón de agua.
• El agua que se usa para bañarse generalmente no necesita hervirse. Es necesaria la supervisión de los niños mientas se bañan para que no ingieran el agua. Las personas con lesiones o erupciones severas pueden consultar a su médico.

Independientemente del proveedor público de agua o el Departamento de Salud y Medio Ambiente de Kansas (KDHE, por sus siglas en inglés) anunciaron un aviso de hervir el agua, solo KDHE puede emitir la orden reciente después de la prueba en un laboratorio certificado.

Para preguntas de los consumidores, llame a la Ciudad de Wichita al (316)265-1300, o el Departamento de Salud y Medio Ambiente de Kansas (KDHE) al (785)296-5514. El consumidor puede obtener información, visitando el sitio web: https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Consumer-Information-Regarding-a-Disrup.

Los restaurantes y otros establecimientos de alimentos que tengan preguntas sobre el impacto del aviso de hervir el agua en sus negocios pueden comunicarse con el Programa Alimentaria y Alojamiento del Departamento de Agricultura de Kansas al kda.fsl@ks.gov o llamando al (785) 564-6767.