ShawneeDispatch.com

Drivers on the Interstate 435 bridge across the Kansas River may have noticed construction on the water to the east of the bridge. The construction is for a new intake structure for Water District 1 of Johnson County. The weir, which is a kind of partial dam, will span the Kansas River just east of the bridge, and serve to divert water to 18 intake cells for the district's water supply, replacing the rock jetty on the other side of the bridge.

The existing rock jetty has required continuing repairs and maintenance in recent years, and a major breach occurred along the jetty in March 2004, requiring emergency repairs totaling $1.7 million.

Probable future breaks in the jetty would require further repairs, so a long-term solution was sought by the water district, said Eileen Koutelas, WaterOne's director of communications.

The weir's cost will be about $12.5 million, and the rock jetty will remain in place but serve no functional purpose once the weir is completed. The water supply for the district will not be interrupted, Koutelas said. Completion is scheduled for May 2008.

"This is more of a preventative long-term solution to ensure that when the river flows are low, this helps divert water to the intake structure," Koutelas said.

The weir is also intended to cut down on the erosion of the riverbed, which is moving upstream.

One of the main sources of drinking water for WaterOne is the intake on the Kansas River. Koutelas said various alternatives were evaluated, and a low-water weir was recommended as the best, most cost-efficient and permanent solution to address customer growth and service.

Koutelas said that by adding only job positions necessary to meet water source, delivery and operational needs, WaterOne was able to keep additional personnel at projected levels.

When complete, the weir will help ensure a reliable supply of water to the WaterOne service area, Koutelas said. WaterOne serves 15 cities, including Overland Park, Mission, Merriam, Fairway, Prairie Village, Mission hills, most of Lenexa and Shawnee and parts of Bonner Springs and Olathe.

The weir will be constructed of 18 circular, 54.5-feet-diameter sheet cells, that will span the width of the Kansas River. The cells are driven into bedrock, filled with compacted sand and capped with concrete. The work also includes the construction of a canoe portage around the weir on the north bank of the river.

WaterOne received $500,000 of the project's cost of $12,533,300 in funding from the federal government in 2005 as part of an EPA grant for the project.