Sewer Investment Program

More information is coming soon!

Public Works began planning for the roughly $54-million investment in 2015 to accommodate future population growth in the Piper area and safeguard the environment by reducing overflows caused by heavy rainfall. The plant became operational in late 2021.

The investment contains three distinct parts working together: the Wolcott Treatment Facility, which cleans wastewater; the Lower Conner Creek Interceptor (pictured above), which spans nearly 4 miles and carries wastewater away from homes and businesses; and Pump Station 70, which helps move wastewater up hills:

• Wolcott Wastewater Treatment Facility: The treatment facility cleans wastewater before returning it safely to the environment.
  
  
• Lower Conner Creek Interceptor: The interceptor spans nearly 4 miles and carries wastewater away from homes and businesses.
  
  
• Pump Station 70: The pump station helps move the wastewater up hills and to the treatment facility.
  
  

The plant processes daily flows of 2 million gallons and was designed to readily accommodate 4 million gallons within the next 10 years. Ultimately, the plant’s capacity is expected to handle average daily flows of 18 million gallons or roughly 64,300 rooftops. This treatment plant is the 5th of its kind in the nation as uses new technology, aerobic granular sludge, which eliminates many of the traditional wastewater treatment steps, reduces operational complexity, and decreases maintenance needs while keeping the community and the environment safe from harmful toxins.

On May 20, 2020, the UG entered into an agreement, also known as a consent decree, with the DOJ and EPA to improve our compliance with the Clean Water Act. The agreement requires the UG to further reduce sewer overflows over a period of 25 years. Without a consent decree, the UG would have to pay large fines and penalties and still be responsible for repairing and upgrading the sewer system to reduce sewer overflows. Sewer overflows are a release of sewage (wastewater) into the environment.

Commissioners and the Mayor of the UG approved the consent decree after more than 10 years of negotiations. While negotiations with the DOJ and EPA were happening, UG staff monitored and studied the sewer system, constructed numerous system improvement projects, engaged with stakeholders, and made operational improvements. This hard work and determination created a custom solution better tailored to the UG and our ratepayers.

Like many communities nationwide, the UG has an aging sewer system that requires continuous maintenance. As our community grows, that adds more flow to the system. If this system is not properly maintained, multiple issues could be created or worsen. Those issues include sinkholes in our streets, stormwater seeping into our sewer system, and sewage overflowing into our creeks and streams or backing up into homes.

Part of the consent decree includes a Sewer Investment Plan, which provides a framework for our efforts to repair and replace old pipes and equipment and construct new sewer system infrastructure.

The plan spans 25 years and requires an investment of approximately $900 million. This investment will provide you with more efficient, reliable, and sustainable sewer infrastructure, meet Clean Water Act regulatory requirements, and, most importantly, meet the needs of our community at a reasonable cost to ratepayers.

Over the next 25 years, we are committed to investing approximately $900 million in our sewer and stormwater systems to provide you with more efficient, reliable, and sustainable sewer infrastructure and meet Clean Water Act regulatory requirements.

In 2020, the UG adopted a 25-year Sewer Investment Program as part of a Consent Decree agreement between the UG, DOJ, and EPA. The Sewer Investment Program supports the Public Works Department’s ongoing efforts to address sewer overflows and basement backups in our community.

The investment plan establishes consistent and manageable sewer rates over the next 25 years, providing predictable funding for future investments through steady marginal rate increases projected to be at or below five percent each year. For comparison, annual sewer rate increases over the previous 20 years averaged six percent, reaching 15 percent in 2011 and 2012.

The Sewer Investment Plan will be implemented over 25 years. This timeline outlined in the consent decree allows us to fund the plan with manageable and predictable sewer rate increases.

Since 2001, sewer rates have increased an average of 6% yearly. During the implementation of the Sewer Investment Plan, sewer rate increases are anticipated to average 3.5% annually.

Beginning in January 2021, you will notice a slight increase in the “water pollution abatement” (sewer) charge on your BPU bill. For the average household, this increase will amount to approximately $2.30 per month or about $28 per year.

This is unrelated to your stormwater management charge on your BPU bill. For information about the stormwater user fee, see Stormwater.

The Sewer Investment Plan will utilize contractors to perform much of the construction, engineering, and other supporting positions.

Contractors are encouraged to hire locally and use local vendors throughout the implementation of this plan. For more information about jobs in Wyandotte County visit workforcepartnership.com or call (913) 279-2600. For more information about jobs with the UG, see Careers.

No. As a homeowner, you own and are responsible for the interior plumbing and exterior sewer/septic service line from your house to the public sewer main connection. These pipes will remain your responsibility for any necessary maintenance and repair. The UG partners with HomeServe USA to offer home repair plans to protect you from the expense and inconvenience of sewer line emergencies. HomeServe is an independent company, separate from the BPU and the UG.

For more information about the Sewer Investment Plan or your sewer bill, call 3-1-1.