City of Leavenworth
Water Pollution Control
1800 S. 2nd St.
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Media Contact: Melissa Bower, Public Information Officer
Phone: 913-680-2610
mbower@firstcity.org
www.lvks.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 23, 2013
Water Pollution Control open house
The City of Leavenworth is having an open house for the public 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at Water Pollution
Control, 1800 S. 2nd St. in Leavenworth. Comments by the mayor and other city officials will begin at 4
p.m. There will also be a GPS and GIS enabled sewer line video system on display. Light refreshments
will be available.
Accessibility to some of these buildings is by stairs, so please contact Paul Kramer, assistant city
manager at 913-680-2602 for accommodations for those who cannot climb stairs. Staff and alternate
exhibits are available to accommodate citizens if necessary.
The new wastewater disinfection system will be open for tours. This new building on the WPC complex
was completed in 2012 and contains an array of more than 1,000 ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation
light bulbs to treat harmful microorganisms like cryptosporidium and bacteria like E.coli. The UV light
system makes up the final process in Leavenworth’s wastewater treatment system. Wastewater is
eventually released into the Missouri River, and so the health of the environment and communities
downstream depend on the City of Leavenworth to do its part to keep the River clean.
Using ultraviolet radiation also prevents the City from depending upon chemical additives like chlorine
that can be hazardous. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, UV disinfection systems
transfer electromagnetic energy from a mercury arc lamp to an organism’s genetic material. When UV
radiation penetrates the cell wall of an organism, it destroys the cell’s ability to reproduce. The UV lights
are not harmful to humans.
The nearly $4 million upgrade brings the City into compliance with a requirement from the Kansas
Department of Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency and prevents the City
from being fined. The upgrade is being paid for by a 25 percent increase in sewer rates.
For more information about Water Pollution Control, call 913-682-1090.