KANSAS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR
Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary
For Immediate Release
September 23, 1998
Contact: Don Brown
785-296-1529
Teamwork, Cooperation Assure Safe Drinking Water in Kansas
Kansans have the right to expect clean and safe drinking water from their public water supplies. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) is working with water systems to ensure the quality and consistency of the water that runs from your faucet. KDHE has established a number of new programs and initiatives to help public water systems prevent or correct deficiencies in pumping, treating and distributing water.
"This cooperative approach means KDHE goes beyond the regulatory requirements of monitoring and identifying water standards violations," said Gary Mitchell, Secretary of Health and Environment. "We work to avoid the violations in the first place. When we do detect a violation, we work with the public water system to fix the problem and to make sure consumers are notified."
In 1997, the department established a State Revolving Fund to provide low-interest loans for water system improvements. An advisory group helps guide the fund, with participation from local water suppliers, contractors, engineers, the League of Kansas Municipalities, the American Water Works Association and the Kansas Rural Water Association. The initial round of $44 million is funding projects like new water lines, updated water treatment facilities and water storage facilities.
In addition, KDHE has obtained $200,000 in federal funds from the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act to provide technical assistance to water treatment plant operators. A contract with the Kansas Rural Water Association makes available additional on-site technical help to cities and rural water districts to improve compliance and protect public health.
The team approach is working. 93 percent of all Kansans were served by public water systems in full compliance with all state and federal standards in a recently released 1997 Kansas summary. The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act establishes a well-defined set of standards for public water systems. Enforcement of those standards is up to KDHE, which requires regular testing for a wide range of contaminants such as bacteria, pesticides, salts, industrial chemicals and gasoline byproducts.
Kansas is working to further improve compliance rates and protect public water supplies. As water treatment and delivery methods improve, the majority of remaining violations are technical in nature, related to the timeliness or methodology of monitoring rather than actual violations of water standards. KDHE compiles statewide information into an annual compliance report. The Kansas Drinking Water Annual Compliance Report is available on the KDHE Web site at: http://www.kdheks.gov/water/