Frequently Asked Questions

Streets

Why isn't my street plowed or salted if there is a snow or ice storm?

The Street Department responds to these emergencies based on public safety priority. The main “arterial” streets will be cleared first to allow ambulance, fire and police vehicles to travel throughout Junction City . The main business areas and schools are next. Residential streets are last to be cleaned or treated.  

Why are there so many potholes?

Potholes develop because of water getting in between the road surfaces. The effect of freezing and thawing will push up the asphalt surface.

How do I report a pothole in my street?

Please call Public Works at 238-7142 to report a pothole. It will be scheduled for repair as soon as possible. Some potholes will not be repaired immediately if the City will be resurfacing that street in the near future.

What happens if a tree limb falls on my property?

By City Ordinance, it is the responsibility of the property owner to remove a fallen tree or tree limb. Public Works will remove tree limbs that fall on the street if it is blocking the roadway.

Who replaces broken or missing street curbs and sidewalks?

By City Ordinance, the property owner is responsible for the repair or replacement of curbs and sidewalks on your property. The City will only replace curbs or sidewalks when it is part of a large street or improvement project.

How do I report a missing or broken street sign?

Please call Veolia Water Public Works 238-7142 to report a missing or broken street sign.

Who do I call if a stoplight is not working?

Please call the Junction City Police Department at 762-5912 during daytime hours and 911 if at night to report a stoplight not working.

Who do I call if a school zone warning light is not working?

Please call Veolia Water Public Works 238-7142 to report a school zone warning light.

Sanitation

When is my regular sanitation pickup day?

Your regular pickup day is determined by your location in Junction City . The pickup days are: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Monday is reserved for Special Pickups, dumpsters, vehicle maintenance and holidays. For more information please call Public Works at 238-7142.

When is my scheduled cleanup day?

Your cleanup day is now the same as your regular pickup day.

Where do I put my trash containers?

You need to put your trash within 3 feet of the curb or alley in order for the sanitation employees to find and remove the trash safely.

When must I put out the trash on my pickup day?

By City Ordinance, the resident must put out the containers by 6:30 AM (summer hours) or 7:30 AM (winter hours) in order for the sanitation crews to pickup your trash. Please check this website, Cox Cable Channel 3 or call Veolia Public Works at 238-7142 for time changes.

What happens if I forget to put out my trash at the right time?

By City Ordinance, the customer is allowed 1 trash call back per calendar year at no charge. It will cost an additional $9.00 afterward. Please call Veolia Public Works at 238-7142 for a call back for trash pickup.

What items cannot be placed out for pickup?

The Main Page for Sanitation details those items that are not allowed to be picked up either due to the size, weight, length or hazardous materials.

Water/Sewer Service

How do I report a leaking water main or water meter?

Please call Veolia Public Works at 238-7142 during normal business hours and Junction City Police Department at 238-5912 at night or weekends.

How do I report a blocked sewer?

Please call Veolia Public Works at 238-7142 during normal business hours and Junction City Police Department at 238-5912 at night or weekends.

Who do I call to locate water or sewer line if I am going to dig in my yard?

Please call Veolia Public Works at 238-7142 to locate water mains and sewer mains.

You will need to call Kansas One Call at 1-800-344-7233 for locating underground electric, gas and telephone. Allow 72 hours for responding to locates.

How often are water meters read?

Water meters are read every month for billing the customer for water, sewer and sanitation services.

Why is my water bill so much higher than it used to be?

Water meters record all water that passes through the meter. If you have a leak in your plumbing, toilet or faucet, the water bill will be higher.

WATER                          

Who do I contact if I have a question about water service in Junction City?

The City's Customer Service Center , 700 North Jefferson Street , 785-238-3103 will help you with questions concerning water, wastewater and trash collection services.

How much water is produced at our water plant ach year?     

The Junction City water plant produces an average of 3 million gallons per day to serve the City of Junction City , City of Grandview Plaza and Geary County Rural Water District #1.   This amount is over 1 billion gallons of drinking water each year.

How does the water plant treat our water?

Go to our page about the water plant at About the plant & schematic.

When I travel to a different part of the country, I sometimes get an upset stomach for a couple of days. Is there something wrong with the water?

It is unlikely that it is a result of germs in the drinking water if it is disinfected. Some waters are high in mineral content, particularly sulfate, which has a laxative effect if your body is not accustomed to it.

How does the drinking water get to my home?

After the treatment of the water, the plant has high-capacity pumps that pressurize and deliver the water to you. Some of the water is stored temporarily at the water plant and in storage tanks within the City. The storage tanks serve to maintain the water pressure and store water in case there is a break in a water main or for fire fighting.

Could my drinking water transmit the AIDS virus?

There is absolutely no evidence that AIDS can be transmitted through drinking water. The virus must get into your blood directly and not through drinking water. The virus is easily killed during the disinfection process of water treatment.

Is tap water suitable for home kidney dialysis machines?

No, the water requires additional treatment. The quality of the water must be much more strict because the water is in close contact with the patient's blood. Closely follow the directions of your doctor and equipment manufacturer.

Is my drinking water completely free of microbes?

No, but most microbes are harmless. However, the water is free of germs by using disinfection chemicals.

Are all chemicals in my drinking water bad for me?

No. Some chemicals are good for you, and some minerals are beneficial for good health.

Does drinking water contain calories, fat, sugar, caffeine or cholesterol?

No. Drinking water does not contain any of these.

Are the people who operate the water plant qualified?

All of the operations staff of the Junction City water plant are certified by the State of Kansas as Public Water Supply Operators. All candidates for certification are required to have a minimum of one full year of on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified operator. Each person must complete certain education and training requirements and complete an exam on water operations. Each higher level of certification requires additional training, experience and progressively more complex exams. The Junction City water plant staff has over 65 years of combined experience in drinking water operation, maintenance, laboratory testing and management.

Why are nitrates bad for infants?

Higher levels of nitrates can cause a condition known as “blue babies”. The nitrates interfere with the ability for oxygen in the blood to reach the brain and the extremities in developing bodies. USEPA have set a standard of 10 parts per million in drinking water to prevent this condition from occurring. The common sources of nitrates are from runoff from fertilizer use, leaching from septic tanks, sewage and erosion of natural deposits. The Junction City water plant had a detected level of nitrates of only 1.28 parts per million.

Why does my drinking water look cloudy when first taken from the faucet and then clears up?

The cloudy water is caused by tiny air bubbles in the water similar to gas bubbles in carbonated drinks or beer.   Often this occurs if you have an aerator, a fine mesh screen, on the end of your faucet.   After a while the bubbles rise to the surface and are gone.

Why do hot water heaters fail?

Natural corrosive properties of all waters will eventually cause the unit to fail. The time it takes to have the heater fail depends on the minerals in the water and how hard the water is.   We partially soften the water to reduce corrosion in the water mains, hot water heaters and in household plumbing.

What are the largest water users in my home?

The toilet (40%) is the largest water user in a home followed by bath/shower (32%), laundry (14%)and hand washing dishes (6%). Small leaks in the toilet flush mechanism, kitchen and bathroom faucets can increase your water usage a great deal.

I have a private well on my property. Who will test this water?

In some areas of the State, the local Health Department will have equipment to perform simple testing. Usually, you will need to contact a commercial laboratory for drinking water testing of private wells.

What goes into the cost to provide drinking water for the community?

There are many parts to the delivery of drinking water. The water plant includes 24 hour staffing , equipment maintenance and chemicals for treatment of drinking water to State and Federal standards. There is equipment and staffing for the maintenance and repair of the over 90 miles water mains, several thousand valves and over 750 fire hydrants. Over 8000 customer have a water meter to ensure the proper volume of water is charged to the customer with staff and equipment to read, prepare water bills, repair and replacement of the water meters. There are also expenses to pay off any debt to install the systems and a reserve fund to pay for capital improvements over a long period of time.

Where can I go to find out more information about drinking water?

We have included a page on this web site on resources on drinking water at Links to water related web sites.

Can I get a tour of the water plant?

We are pleased to offer guided tours of the water plant, by appointment, for individuals and groups. You can contact us at 785-762-5855 to set up a date and time. For your safety, we provide hard hats and safety glasses for all visitors touring water plant.

Why does drinking water cost so much?

Drinking water is the least expensive liquid you can buy. There is no other product can you buy that is delivered into you home or business, 24 hours a day, at a cost of about 1/7 of one cent per gallon?

WASTEWATER

Why was the new wastewater treatment plant built?

The Southwest wastewater plant, 3200 Industrial Street , was constructed to handle the high strength wastewater from the new Armour Swift-Echrich meat processing plant. It would have been much more expensive and difficult to pump this wastewater to the wastewater plant located on Grant Avenue . The strength and volume of the additional waste would have made it necessary to at least double the capacity of the original plant. Also, the new plant is capable of treating additional industrial, commercial and residential wastewater for future development in the western portion of the City.

Why is there a wastewater treatment plant on Grant Avenue ?

This treatment plant was first constructed in 1954 and was on the eastern edge of the City. All of the wastewater is brought to the plant using buried sewers that use gravity to move the wastewater to the plant. Over the last 45 years, the growth of the City has surrounded the plant. The plant is “boxed in” between the Union Pacific railroad tracks to the south, Grant Avenue to the north and east and commercial development to the west.

How do the wastewater treatment plant work?

Go to   Main Page about details on treatment of wastewater by the East and Southwest plants.

What happens to all of the solid material that is removed from the treatment plants?

The “Biosolids” are treated with lime to meet Federal regulations and then is hauled to local farmland to be used as fertilizer and soil conditioner

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Operator qualifications

All of the operations staff of the two Junction City wastewater plants are certified by the State of Kansas as Sewage Treatment Works Operators. All candidates for certification are required to have a minimum of one full year of on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified operator. Each person must complete certain education and training requirements and complete an exam on water operations. Each higher level of certification requires additional training, experience and progressively more complex exams. The staff at the Junction City wastewater plants have over 125 years of combined experience in wastewater operation, maintenance, laboratory testing and management.

Why does it cost so much to treat wastewater?

The treatment of wastewater is regulated under stringent laws by State and Federal environmental protection agencies. The combination of routine and other wastes from homes, business and industry is very corrosive to equipment requiring specialized sewer pipes, pumps, equipment and control measures.  

Can I get a tour of the wastewater plants?

We would be pleased to provide tours of the wastewater treatment plant to individuals and groups, by appointment. You can contact us at 785-762-5855 to set up a date and time. For your safety, we provide hard hats and safety glasses for all visitors touring wastewater plants.

Where can I go to find out more information about wastewater treatment?

We have included a page on this web site on resources on wastewater treatment at Links to wastewater related web sites.