KDHE outlines voluntary certification to speed water‑main projects, limits size and requires on‑staff PE

The Kansas Department for Health and Environment presented a voluntary certification program intended to shorten project timelines for routine distribution-pipe replacements and extensions by allowing qualifying public water-supply systems to proceed without submitting plans and specifications for KDHE review.

William Carr, Director of the Bureau of Water, said the enabling statute (K.S.A. 65‑163) allows a certification program and that regulation KAR 28‑15‑16 sets criteria for participation. Key limits include a 16‑inch maximum pipe diameter for eligible projects, a requirement that replacement be in the general area of existing pipe, minimum engineering design standards, and a requirement that the water system employ a full‑time professional engineer who must be separate from the design engineer.

"This certification program is completely voluntary. There's no requirement and there are no associated fees for participation," Carr said. KDHE said it began drafting regulatory language in 2017, convened advisory groups and a 2023 pilot advisory group, and currently has a nine‑system pilot including Hutchinson, Olathe, Lawrence, Wichita and others.

Committee members asked how small communities without an on‑staff PE could participate; Carr said the program is aimed at systems that already have an engineer on payroll and would likely not be cost‑effective for smaller systems. Carr said KDHE would keep records and could request the systems' project logs and standard specification packages during oversight.

Ending: KDHE emphasized the program's voluntary nature, record-keeping requirements, and its pilot status and said it will provide additional details to the committee as requested.