by James Jordan, Sumner Newscow — The Wellington City Council gave city manager Roy Eckert the go ahead to negotiate with rural water customers regarding water wells and water rights, at a special city council meeting Wednesday. The city is facing a May 1 deadline to stop supplying “raw” or untreated water to rural customers. Eckert will still have to bring the deals back to the council for approval, but this gives him approval to enter into negotiations.

Since the early 1950’s the city has had wells in rural areas outside the city limits. The unwritten deal was the rural customers could use water from the wells on their property that the city put in, that are also used by the city as a water supply inside the city limits. When that water is used, it goes into the city system and is treated and passed along to water customers inside the city.

Wellington gets most of its water from the river and the lake, but makes use of 10-15 wells as an alternative source.

At the meeting it was explained that the state’s department of health has been after the city to stop supplying untreated water to rural customers. It was a partnership that worked for the city, and until very recently the state was not pushing the city to stop even though it was against state policy.

That changed recently, city attorney Mike Brown said at the meeting. He said the person who had been dealing with the city left the job, and the new person is pushing the issue.

“All of a sudden KDHE is saying we can’t supply untreated water outside the city limits. Those same people could drill their own wells and drink the water, but the city can’t,” he said.

Brown said the city is going to have to negotiate new deals with these residential customers. In the past there has been a trade. The people allowed the city to have a well on their property, and they got to use that water in exchange. Now the city will have to negotiate a lease with each one of them.

Eckert said the city cannot allow people to have untreated water that comes from city lines, even outside the city at the site of a well. They have to be disconnected by May 1, or the city will face a fine.

He said he wanted to get this done so the people in those areas would not be without water. It puts them in a bind too, he said.

“We want to be fair to those customers too,” he said.

The customers are aware of the situation, and there are only 10-15 of them. They have been aware that the state wanted this practice to stop for seven or eight years.

The city has its next regular meeting at 6:30 on March 1, and there is a work session set for 5:30 on March 7.

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