Wichita boil advisory impacting about 500K water customers, cancels school for some students

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – UPDATE – 8:30 a.m. 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 upmost 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.

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