Water Production is one of five departments within the Public Utilities. Under the general management and direction of the Assistant City Manager for Utilities and Information Technology, the Water Production Supervisor and staff of three work together to provide potable drinking water for the citizens of Wellington and surrounding areas. Water is provided to three Rural Water Districts, the City of Mayfield, and the Kansas Turnpike Belle Plaine Service Area. The Water Production Plant was constructed in 1996 and is capable of producing over 5 million gallons of potable water per day. Water is drawn for processing and treatment from the Wellington Lake, multiple ground wells, and the Chikaskia River.
Water Production staff are responsible for the following tasks:
- Treatment of all water to a level that meets or exceeds Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) requirements. Sampling and reporting to KDHE as required.
- Preparing the annual Consumer Confidence Report.
- Preparing the annual Municipal Water Report for submission to the State Division of Water Resources.
- Tracking of water rights at the various water sources. In 2018, 420,768,050 gallons of water was treated. The average day was about 1.5 MGD with the peak day about 2.1 MGD.
- Maintenance of the Wellington Lake and Chikaskia River Dam pumping stations.
- Maintenance of the nine groundwater wells.
- Maintenance of the Wellington Lake Dam.
- Answering inquiries from citizens, local, state and federal officials regarding the water treatment process.