What happened Thursday could have been much worse. And it was no surprise. The water main break that threatened to contaminate the whole system, closing schools and hobbling restaurants was a crisis, but it could have happened at any time. The city of Wichita’s water system has been flirting with disaster for years. This time, the failure of a power pole’s insulator, one of the most common, cheapest and most reliable parts of an electrical system, was the trigger point in a cascade of events that broke a corroded, 52-year-old water main near downtown Wichita. A 2017 assessment found 99% of Wichita’s water treatment plant was in poor condition and the entire raw water pipe system was in very poor condition. The Eagle reported in 2019 that Wichita’s entire water system has a “significant risk” of failure and lacks redundancy, meaning if a major asset fails, it can’t be fixed without shutting the whole plant down.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

The boil water advisories for most areas in Sedgwick and Butler counties affected by a major water pipe break last week are over. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Sunday lifted advisories for Bel Aire, Derby, Rose Hill, Benton, Kechi, Valley Center, McConnell Air Force Base and Sedgwick County Rural Water Districts 1 and 3. The city of Wichita’s advisory was lifted Saturday. Residents in Sedgwick County Rural Water District No. 2, however, should continue to boil their tap water before drinking or cooking with it until further notice, the KDHE said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

In Wichita, it’s safe to drink the water again. A boil-water advisory that closed Wichita’s schools and hampered many of the city’s restaurants has been lifted, about 36 hours after a water main break that had threatened to contaminate the system. The advisory issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Thursday afternoon ended after all the city’s water samples turned up negative for contamination.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle