Wichita moves closer to construction of a new water plant

The Wichita City Council has given first-round approval to accepting a loan from the federal government to help pay for a new water treatment facility.
The $280,860,714 loan comes from the Environmental Protection Agency by way of the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA). It will pay for almost half of the new plant.
Alan King, the director of Wichita Public Works and Utilities, told the council members that one of the reasons the WIFIA loan is so attractive is a deferral of repayment for five years after construction.
“We figure about 4 to 5 years to build the treatment plant, and it’s a full five years after that we start the payment back,” said King.
(Read more: KSN-TV)