TOPEKA (KSNT) – City staff in Topeka are monitoring the Kansas River Thursday after a wastewater discharge in Pottawatomie County prompted health officials to issue a warning for the waterway.
Officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) issued a stream advisory alert on Wednesday, Oct. 7 for a creek in Pottawatomie County due to a wastewater discharge from a confined feeding facility. However, health officials later expanded the advisory to include sections of the Big Blue River, Kansas River and Tuttle Creek Lake.
The KDHE’s updated stream advisory includes the Kansas River from where it meets the Big Blue River in Manhattan through to where it connects with the Delaware River near Perry. Health officials encouraged both people and animals to stay out of the water due to possible elevated bacteria levels.
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City of Topeka spokeswoman Amanda Knowland told 27 News that city staff are keeping tabs on the developing situation and how it might impact the Capital City. She said the city’s Water Treatment Plant is constantly monitoring water quality coming from the river and making adjustments as needed to disinfect the water continue to meet drinking water standards.
The City of Topeka takes in water from the Kansas River through two intakes which are capable of pumping up to 110 million gallons of untreated water per day, according to the 2025 City of Topeka annual water quality report. Overall, the city uses around 21 million gallons of water per day.
City staff at the Water Treatment Plant monitor incoming water year-round. Knowland said, as of Oct. 8, staff at the plant have not noticed any impacts requiring a change to the ongoing water treatment operations.
“It’s important to note that the volume of water moving through Tuttle Creek Lake and the Kansas River provides significant dilution as water moves downstream,” Knowland said. “The City will continue to monitor conditions and is prepared to adjust treatment processes, including chlorine feed rates, if water quality conditions or chlorine demand change.”
We have also reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for comment on this situation. Additional details from the KDHE, EPA and other local agencies will be provided in future articles on this matter.
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