Wichita’s nearly $1 billion water and sewer overhaul could be finished by 2027

Wichita is moving dirt for a new water treatment facility and planning to upgrade its sewage treatment plant by 2027 in a nearly $1 billion infrastructure overhaul. The Northwest Water Treatment Facility — near the Sedgwick County Zoo at 21st and Hoover — is still being designed by Wichita Water Partners, a group of contractors awarded the project in a controversial selection process. The new plant is needed to replace the city’s existing plant, which is 80 years old and has a high risk of failure, city officials have said.