Wichita’s water plant: ‘Every hour that thing is running, it could fail’

Next time water comes out of your tap, don’t take it for granted.
Wichita’s only water treatment plant could fail at any moment.
“It keeps me awake at night . . .” said Alan King, Wichita’s director of public works and utilities. “Every hour that thing is running, it could fail — right as we’re talking, right now.”

Critical infrastructure at the plant is 80 years old and has outlived its useful life. To fully fix it, the city would have to shut it down. There is no backup.