History

The Marion Water Works Company, chartered February 22, 1887, was authorized by the city to supply Marion with water for non-drinking purposes, i.e. fire hoses, livestock water tanks. Drinking water at that time was obtained from the river, cisterns, or private wells.

This company was purchased February 22, 1891 by Platt V. Bryan, representative of Arnott, Gillette and Reynolds of New York.

Also, in 1887, J.H. Jones was granted the right to construct, maintain and operate a water works system in Marion. No one knows the fate of this system.

A water system was well established in Marion in 1904. An election was held in 1907 to vote on subscribing to bonds to purchase the existing water system and /or construct a new water works. The citizens approved of buying the existing system and improving and enlarging it. Part of the improvements was a new treatment plant completed in 1928. This plant was used until 1964. Marion’s water supply came from the spring fed Mud Creek and was damned upstream to create a water storage area. A water tower of 75,000 gallons was used for water storage and is still in use today.

In 1964 a new water plant and storage tower were constructed. The new plant was designed to treat 1 million gallons of water per day and the new tower has a holding capacity of 500,000 gallons. The plant and large tower are still in use today.

In 1981 the City of Marion installed a 12-inch water line from the Marion Reservoir to the water plant. Raw water gravity flows to feed the water plant at a rate of 670 gallons per minute. This is the current water source for Marion.

The City of Marion currently maintains more than 25 miles of municipal water lines throughout the city, and uses 300,000 gallons of it's 1,000,000 gallon water producing capability per day.

In 2000 the treatment plant was upgraded to comply with new drinking water standards. New monitoring charts, automated pumping devices and a 200,000 gallon underground clear well were installed.

In 2003 an anabaena algae bloom was so large that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment recommended that the water source be shut off until toxin levels receded thus Marion had to find an alternate water source. Submersible pumps and an 8-inch line were installed from Mud Creek to the water plant and was again Marion’s water source. After 3 weeks alternative treatment for the toxins was implemented and Marion resumed drawing water from the reservoir. The new submersible pumps are now considered Marion’s back up water source for emergencies.

Additional upgrades were started in 2006 and are to be completed by the end of 2007 to comply to new drinking water standards.  Ozone will be the primary disinfection treatment.