By Roger McKinney

rmckinney@joplinglobe.com

RIVERTON, Kan. — Negotiations continued this week in an effort to get Cherokee County rural water districts on board with a wholesale water district seeking federal stimulus money.

Public Wholesale Water District No. 19 on Spring River has been discussed for the past 14 years. The project appeared dead until the federal stimulus was approved, making federal money available for such projects.

The project calls for an $11.4 million water-treatment plant on a 12-acre site where Shawnee Creek enters Spring River near Riverton.

John Epler, chairman of the wholesale water district, said salt in groundwater in western Kansas eventually will reach eastern Kansas, making local wells unusable. The rural water districts in Cherokee County depend on the groundwater wells.

Holdouts

Epler said Wednesday that four rural water districts in the county and the city of Columbus have signed on with the project. Holdouts are Rural Water District No. 4, in the northeast part of the county, and Rural Water District No. 2, between Riverton and Crestline.

Epler said he would make another attempt to persuade the holdouts to join.

“They’ve got to understand the opportunity they’re letting pass by,” he said. “This is maybe the last, best opportunity to make this work.”

J.W. Stephenson, operator and manager for Rural Water District No. 2, said the district had been in talks with Baxter Springs about buying its water, when the wholesale district presented itself. He said the rural district continued to pursue an agreement with Baxter Springs.

“We’re just five miles from Baxter. It just seems more economically feasible to buy from them,” Stephenson said. He said the 40-year commitment sought by the wholesale district also is troubling to residents of the district.

Baxter Springs City Councilman Larry Warner, chairman of the Baxter Springs Water Committee, confirmed that the city was negotiating with the rural water district on an agreement to buy water from the city.

Epler had sought commitments from the rural water districts by April 1. The wholesale water district is seeking a 40-year commitment from member districts. In turn, the member districts would have a seat on the board of the wholesale district, and water customers would receive water at a cost of $5 or less per 1,000 gallons. Board members would have a vote in deciding future rate increases.

Backup supply

Baxter Springs is to serve as the required backup for the wholesale water district. The Baxter Springs Water Committee discussed the wholesale water district during a meeting this week. The city would need to apply for additional water rights to serve as a backup.

“This thing honestly will help us out with our infrastructure, should it happen,” Warner said at the meeting.

The committee was seeking from the wholesale district a precise amount of water the district would require in order to set the city’s rate to the district and to draft a contract.

Epler on Wednesday repeated a figure discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. He said the wholesale district would use 10 million gallons of water a month. Of that amount, it would require 2.5 million gallons from Baxter Springs.

“We know they’re going to have to buy at least 25 percent of their water from us,” Warner said. “That number’s pretty critical.”

The committee also discussed the possibility of expanding the city’s service area to locations that may not be served by the town or by rural water districts. Committee members say an area east of town fits that description.

“It’s a time to look at your service area and see if you need to do any cleanup on that,” said Katie Tietsort, water commissioner with the Kansas Division of Water Resources.

Warner said at a March 10 meeting in Columbus that Baxter Springs could provide water to the wholesale district at a cost of $3.50 per 1,000 gallons. After Tuesday’s committee meeting, he said that figure was still valid, though the amount might be even less.

The wholesale district would need to build a distribution system, even if the district were to rely on Baxter Springs water, according to information from the Columbus meeting.

“We need to work with them,” Warner said.

Baxter Springs offer

Warner has said that Baxter Springs would be able and willing to produce all the water for the wholesale water district at the city water-treatment plant, but Epler said the wholesale district having its own plant would be useful.

Epler said that if the wholesale district had a treatment plant of its own, it could serve as a backup if Baxter Springs had a problem at its plant, and vice versa. He said it’s always useful to have a spare tractor or a spare car, in case one breaks down.

“We would like to build our own plant,” Epler said. “It’s necessary for the future water supply of the county.”

Both Epler and Warner said they won’t let the difference of opinion prevent them from working together on the project.

“The city of Baxter Springs has been so gracious in working with us and offering to serve as our backup water supply,” Epler said.





Prospects



John Epler said time is short, but he thinks prospects for the wholesale water district are promising. “The state and federal people remain committed to it,” he said. “They’re hooked up. They really want to see it happen. I think it’s doable.”