Wichita city council members have voted unanimously to move to the second phase of a project to build a new water treatment plant in the northwest part of the city.  This will move to design and construction of a $494 million dollar plant, and it includes an overall rate increase of 5 percent for water and sewer bills in 2020.

Assistant public works director Don Henry said the increase will be 6.25 percent for water rates and 3 percent for sewer rates.   For residential customers, that will mean a monthly increase of $2 to $7 depending on how much water is used.   Commercial customers will see an increase of around $28 per month, and industrial customers will have an increase of about $2,600.

Henry said a major goal is to avoid sudden rate spikes with the project in the coming years, gradually raising rates for large projects and then leveling off later.

The city has also applied for a federal loan of $269.7 million to help with the cost of the project.

Council member Brandon Johnson said the team that is working on the project, Wichita Water Partners, has addressed his concerns and he is ready to move forward with the new plant.  He said the city will have a quality product and a quality team working on it.  Johnson said it’s too risky to start the bidding process over, and that could lead to water rate increases as high as 12 percent.    Council member Bryan Frye said he is impressed with the design-build team and its work to create cost savings in the project while still delivering a quality plant.  Frye said the plant will meet all of the city’s standards and it’s time to move forward.    Council member James Clendenin said the plant will meet the city’s water needs well into the future.