IN THE BEGINNING, there was a dream when a group of interested Pottawatomie County residents declared, “Let there be water”. They began the process in 1996. After considerable effort by the group, the dream became reality and the pumps were started on November 1, 2001.
Our district includes 568 private residences, the cities of Westmoreland, Delia and Belvue, and all potable water used by Jeffrey Energy Center. Rural Water District No. 2, Jackson County, also merged into our district.
We currently service approximately 250 miles of water line. Water flows into these lines from three standpipes and one elevated tank with a total capacity of 814,000 gallons. Our plant production is 340 – 360 gallons of potable water per minute, approximately 21,000 gallons per hour. Water is supplied by two wells and three booster pump stations. We have the distinction of being the first rural water district in Kansas with water processed by reverse osmosis.
After a decade of battling source water with high iron manganese content financing was secured from Rural Development in the fall of 2010, and a pressurized sand filter was installed.
At the same time over seven miles of “Cold War Era Missile Base” cast iron mains that were the origins for Jackson #2 RWD were replaced.
These improvements to both the production and distribution systems has resulted in higher quality water for members and, in the long run, lower operating costs for the District.