Arkansas City Water Environment Protection Facility

Personnel can be contacted Monday through Friday between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM and on weekends and holidays between 7:00 AM and 11:00 AM at (620) 441-4495.

The Arkansas City Water Environment Protection Facility was constructed in 1958 utilizing Trickling Filters and Anaerobic Sludge Digestion. In 1982, the plant was upgraded to include Activated Sludge in addition to the Trickling Filters with a design average capacity of 2.1 million gallons per day (MGD) with peak flow capability of 4.7 MGD.

Another upgrade to the facility was completed in 2001. This upgrade involved installing an ultraviolet light disinfection system and a high river-level pump station. Much of the old equipment, such as pumps and bar screens, was also replaced during this upgrade. The primary purpose of the 2001 upgrade was to reduce the quantity of bacteriological life remaining in the treated effluent released to the Arkansas River. Furthermore, a high river-level pump station was constructed to pump treated effluent to the river during high river-level events.

In 2020, an engineering team was engaged to provide formal recommendations for a design-bid-build process for wastewater treatment plant upgrades. Construction began in 2022 with the establishment of a new administration building. The replacement or rehabilitation of key wastewater treatment processes, with a budget of $13 million, was completed in October 2023. 

Biosolids that are produced meet the definition of Class A under the USEPA’s Clean Water Act, Part 503 sludge regulations. These beneficial biosolids are applied to agricultural land to enhance growth of crops. Much of the biosolids produced are dried and used on grasslands and recreational areas.

The city maintains an EPA-accredited environmental laboratory. City Lab Technicians perform many of the analyses required under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, while some parameters are conducted by contract with private laboratories.