Water Department | Liberal, KS (2024)

About our Water Supply

The water supply in Liberal, Kansas, like many of the other surrounding communities, is sourced directly from the High Plains Ogallala Aquifer. The city owns and operates a total of 21 water wells drilled to depths of greater than 200 feet. The raw water is pumped from these wells and into one of four ground-level storage reservoirs where it is injected with gaseous chlorine and allowed to settle for a short time before being pumped into the distribution system. Due to Liberal's status as a groundwater-based system, no further treatment is required. Once in the distribution system, the potable water supply is distributed in a complex grid-based network of over 170 linear miles of piping ranging in sizes from two to 24 inches in diameter. This piping connects approximately 7,000 water service connections and nearly 800 fire hydrants to the city's water system. Excess water is transported to the 121 foot tall, 1,000,000 gallon water tower to help maintain a pressure range of 40 to 60 Pounds Per Square Inch (PSI). Through the skilled activities of water department personnel, the City of Liberal is able to provide ample water storage for fire protection purposes and achieve the goal of a continuous supply of fresh water for all residents.

The City of Liberal releases an annual report titled the Consumer Confidence Report. This document contains the results of all contaminate testing required by state and federal law. A copy of the 2023 Liberal Water Consumer Confidence report can be found here. In order to ensure the integrity of the supply, each point of entry into the system is tested daily to make certain that appropriate levels of chlorine (CL2) are maintained. Additional CL2 residual tests are performed daily at select locations in the distribution system. A CL2 reading of at least .2 milligrams per liter (mgl) but no more than 4 mgl is required by state law. The system is also on a schedule for routine testing of total coliform bacteria, with twenty samples completed monthly. Additional tests for nitrate/nitrite, organic and inorganic chemicals, and several other potential contaminants, are performed on an annual basis.

Services we perform and programs we offer:

Provide safe, quality water to every customer.

Customer service concerning leaks and water quality.

Monthly testing to ensure safety.

Services we do NOT perform and programs we do NOT offer:

Billing Issues: Please contact Utility Billing at 620-626-2230.

New Service and/or Terminating of Service:contact Utility Billing at 620-626-2230.

Sewer back-up: contact Wastewater Department at 620-626-0185.

Safety & Sustainability

Lead in Home Plumbing

Learn about Lead and Copper Water Service Line Replacements in Liberal, including our ongoing initiatives to replace lead and copper water service lines, ensuring the safety and quality of our drinking water. Click here to stay updated on our progress and resources for residents.

If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. We are responsible for providing high-quality drinking water, but we cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline or at www.epa.gov/safewater/lead.

Water Conservation

You can play a role in conserving water and saving yourself money in the process by becoming conscious of the amount of water your household is using and by looking for ways to use less whenever you can. It is not hard to conserve water. Here are a few tips:

Automatic dishwashers use 15 gallons for every cycle, regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So get a run for your money and load it to capacity.
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
Check every faucet in your home for leaks. Just a slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day. Fix it and you can save almost 6,000 gallons a year.
Check your toilets for leaks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Watch for a few minutes to see if the color shows up in the bowl. It is no uncommon to lose up to 100 gallons a day from an invisible toilet leak. Fix it and you can save more than 30,000 gallons a year.
Use your water meter to detect hidden leaks. Simply turn off all taps and water using appliances. Then check the meter after 15 minutes, if it moved you have a leak.

Substances That Could Be in Water

To ensure that tap water is safe to drink, the U.S. EPA prescribes regulations limiting the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water that must provide the same protection for public health. Drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of these contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk.

The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds reservoirs, springs and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals, in some cases, radioactive material and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Substances that may be present in source water include:

Microbial Contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria. which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, or wildlife;

Inorganic Contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally occurring or may result from urban storm water runoff, industrial or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining or farming;

Pesticides and Herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban storm water runoff and residential uses;

Organic Chemical Contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are by-products of industrial processes and petroleum and may also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems.

Radioactive Contaminants, which can be naturally occurring or maybe the result of oil and gas production and mining activities.

For more information about contaminants and potential health effects, call U.S. EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at (800) 426-4791.

Questions?

For more information about our water report, or for any questions relating to your drinking water, please call the Water Plant at (620) 626-0138.