| Buffalo, Kansas Water Plant 110 Plant Street Contact 620-212-1794 |
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| buffalowaterplant@yahoo.com |
| The Laboratory |
| The Monitors |
The City of Buffalo Owns, Operates, and Maintains a Municipal Water Treatment Facility under EPA and KDHE regulations. Our plant also relies on the expert guidance of the Kansas Rural Water Association. On an average summer day, we produce 100,000 gallons of potable water. In addition to supplying residents of Buffalo, we currently serve two rural water districts. The operation consists of two raw water pumps, two high service pumps, a 100 foot storage stand pipe, and wireless telemetry system. The telemetry system is made up of three Motorola radios and computers which turn pumps on and off depending on water levels and demand. The Treatment Raw water is pumped to the plant basement where it is metered and combined with three chemicals before continuing outside to the clarifier. Each chemical is injected with a precision metering pump based on daily lab results taken in the plant lab every morning, 365 days a year. The first chemical is blended polymer, which combines with dirt in the raw water to settle out in the bottom of the clarifier. The second chemical is Potassium Permanganate, which helps control taste and odor. The third chemical is Sodium Hypo chlorite, which acts as a Pre chlorine disinfectant prior to entering the clarifier. This mixture then travels into a flash mixer attached to the clarifier wall. This step rapidly mixes all chemicals with the water. This mixture then enters the clarifier center cone at the base more than 14 feet underground at a rate of 105 gallons per minute. Gravity then goes to work pulling the combined dirt and polymer, also know as floc, to the bottom of the clarifier to be discharged by an automatic blow down system. The clean water remains at the top where it passes through weep holes to regulate flow back into the plant and into the Final Filters. These filters contain several layers and types of media which attract remaining particles to lower turbidity. Each filter effluent turbidity is individually monitored and recorded 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The water is then injected again with Sodium Hypo chlorite for Post disinfection before entering a 30,000 gallon underground storage tank also known as the Clear well. From the Clear well, potable water is pumped to the tower for Distribution. The Requirements Each day, 4 basic tests are performed at 5 steps of the treatment process, to maintain proper disinfection, turbidity, and ph level. A distribution chlorine residual must be taken daily in the city to insure proper disinfection at the customers home. KDHE laboratories receive a weekly sample from customers homes that is tested for the presence of coliform bacteria. Each week, 4 tests are conducted on finished water to monitor Hardness, Alkalinity, Manganese, and Iron levels. One time per month, samples are sent to KDHE labs for Trihalomethane and Halo acetic Acid monitoring. All levels must be within EPA and KDHE requirements. All records of these tests must be maintained and available upon demand for 10 years. |
| The Controller |