The original Great Bend Water Treatment Plant was constructed in 1983 and the equipment had outperformed its useful life. Red Rock Rural Water System (Red Rock) faced a dilemma: rehab a nearly 40-year-old facility to extend its useful life, or start fresh by constructing a new facility. Red Rock worked with DGR Engineering to begin design of a new state-of-the-art water treatment plant that would provide continued growth opportunity for Red Rock’s next 40 years of operation.

Two new production wells were drilled and developed a total of 1,100 gpm of new capacity. Red Rock also wanted to incorporate operational improvements over the old treatment plant, including a dedicated office space with a fully functional master SCADA computer that can operate all components of the plant, as well as all other facilities in the water system. Pneumatically actuated valves on the filters are tied into the SCADA controls to automate the backwash process.

Two rapid infiltration basins were constructed to collect backwash water from the filters. The infiltration basins allow the backwash water to recycle back into the aquifer while filtered particles settle out on the surface of the basin.

The new Great Bend Water Treatment Plant went into full-time operation in May 2023. By the time the new facility went on-line, the original Great Bend treatment plant was functioning at only 60% of its designed capacity. Initially the new facility will operate at 1.2 million gallons per day (MGD) at a flow rate of 1,000 gpm.

The building is expandable to add future treatment equipment that can double the treatment capacity as water demands increase in the future. With three times more water available and enough annual water appropriation to operate at full capacity all year long, the new facility has become Red Rock’s primary water source.