By Emma Loura/Manhattan Mercury
Initial field work is set to begin this month for the Keats sewer project.
Riley County public information officer Vivienne Leyva on Monday told county commissioners BG Consultants will start doing surveys of the Keats area throughout August as it prepares to design the new sanitary sewer collection system, lift station and wastewater treatment facility.
The project will get underway with workers marking utilities, which will allow BG Consultants to begin surveying clean outs and septic tanks to identify preliminary service line alignment in late August and early September.
“Then they’ll be working to identify utility and structural conflicts with the preliminary design and then redesign those as needed,” Leyva said.
BG Consultants will draw up preliminary plans later this month.
Leyva said some workers may need to enter private property. They will wear brightly colored, high-visibility branded shirts. If they need to access areas where pets are, they will knock at the door and speak with the resident before moving forward.
After completing their surveys, BG Consultants employees with coordinate with Keats residents regarding their concerns about installation and workout the details.
The project will put in a wastewater lagoon treatment facility in Keats, requiring the installation of manholes, sewer mains and service piping in the unincorporated community. The lagoon will be a state-regulated and state-permitted projected that Riley County will maintain.
“Unfortunately, many existing, private wastewater systems in Keats are failing or in danger of failing,” said Amanda Webb, county director of planning and development/environment health, in a written statement. “After many years of exploring possible solutions, we are excited to see this project begin to take shape. Funding awards from (the Kansas Department of Health and Environment), the Kansas Water Office, and (the American Rescue Plan Act) are making a solution possible for these residents.”
The Kansas Water office awarded the project a technical assistance grant to evaluate sites for the new facility, and KDHE has invested more than $2.5 million to assist the county in the implementation of the project.
Any remaining project costs will be added to an annual special property tax assessment for each user in the Keats Sewer Benefit District.
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