Tours and Speakers
Schedule a Tour
Facilities Offering Tours
- Blue River
- New Century AirCenter
- Nelson
- Middle Basin
- Mill Creek
- Tomahawk
Learn more about the facilities
Group Tours
Perfect for members of professional organizations or groups such as schools, companies, teams or clubs.
Community Tours
Perfect for interested Johnson County residents, families or small parties of five or less individuals.
Please Note
- Tours will not be given on the following holidays:
- New Year’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Memorial Day
- Juneteenth
- Independence Day
- Labor Day
- Veterans Day
- Thanksgiving Day
- Day After Thanksgiving
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas
- Tours are generally given during working hours, but some exceptions could be made for evening and weekend requests.
- Tours are free to the public, but all guests must fill out a Facility Tour Release of Liability Form beforehand for themselves and any minors present.
- All participants must wear appropriate footwear, flat closed-toed shoes and long pants. Tours consist of walking around outdoors so dressing for the weather will be important. Bring a water bottle, hat and/or sunglasses for particularly hot days, and warm layers for cold ones.
- Tour rescheduling will take place in the event of severe weather (i.e. Lightning, Heavy Snow/Ice, High Winds).
- Plant tour groups may encounter rough or uneven terrain, stairs and/or heights, strong odors, loud noises and wildlife
Learn More About the Facilities
Originally constructed in 1995, Mill Creek is an award-winning Activated Sludge and Lagoon facility that is designed to treat up to an average of 19 million gallons per day (MGD) but can treat up to 105 MGD of peak flow. The plant currently serves approximately 96,000 Johnson County customers and discharges to Mill Creek.
Features
- Influent Pump Station
- Bar Screens
- Grit Removal
- Activated Sludge
- Lagoon Treatment Trains
- Secondary Clarifiers
- UV Disinfection
Location: Northwest Shawnee, KS
Tour Minimum: 5
Tour Maximum: 20
Standard Tour Walking Distance: 1.40 miles
New Century Air Center has a design maximum flow of 4 million gallons per day (MGD) but typically treats between 0.8 and 1.5 MGD. This facility is unique because around 80% of the wastewater treated is from industrial customers and is very high strength compared to most municipal treatment facilities. The water treated by this plant discharges to Little Bull Creek.
Features
- Influent Pump Station
- Barscreens
- Aeration Basins
- Primary Clarifier
- Secondary Clarifiers
- UV Disinfection
- Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF
- Sludge Thickening
- Solids Removal
Location: New Century Airport/Gardner, KS
Tour Minimum: 5
Tour Maximum: 20
Standard Tour Walking Distance: 0.50 miles
Blue River Main was originally built in 1982 as a 1 million gallons per day (MGD) extended aeration basin plant, however, due to rapid housing development in the area, the plant was expanded to treat 6 – 7 MGD using Biological Nutrient Removal. Blue River has a design maximum flow of 23 MGD. This plant currently serves 53,000 Johnson County customers and discharges to the Blue River.
Features
- Biological Nutrient Removal
- UV Disinfection
- Odor Control – Carbon & Wet Scrubbers
- Secondary Clarifiers
- Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF)
- Aerated Excessive Wet Weather Equalization Basins
Location: Southeast Overland Park, KS
Tour Minimum: 5
Tour Maximum: 30
Standard Tour Walking Distance: 0.25 miles
Middle Basin has a design average flow of 14.5 million gallons per day (MGD) but can treat up to 23 MGD of peak flow. The facility serves approximately 100,000 Johnson County customers in central Johnson County along with acceptance of fats, oils and grease (FOG) from local restaurants and industries. The water treated by this plant discharges to Indian Creek
Features
- Influent Pump Station
- Barscreens
- Grit Removal
- Fats, Oils, and Grease Receiving Facility
- Biological Nutrient Removal
- Primary Clarifier
- Secondary Clarifiers
- Gravity Thickener
- Rotary Drum Thickeners
- Belt Presses
- UV Disinfection
- Aerated Excessive Wet Weather Equalization Basins
Location: Overland Park, KS
Tour Minimum: 10
Tour Maximum: 25 (with some exceptions)
Standard Tour Walking Distance: 1.20 miles
Tomahawk Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is a new state-of–the-art facility that replaced the previous treatment facility originally built in 1955. Tomahawk is designed to treat an average of 19 million gallons per day (MGD) but is able to treat up to 172 MGD at peak flow. The facility currently serves approximately 150,000 customers and discharges to Indian Creek.
Features
- Influent Pump Station
- Barscreens
- Finescreens
- Grit Removal
- Biological Nutrient Removal
- Primary Clarifiers
- Secondary Clarifiers
- Gravity Thickener
- Rotary Drum Thickeners
- Centrifuges
- Chemical Disinfection
- Side Stream Process for Ammonia Removal
Location: Leawood, KS
Tour Minimum: 10
Tour Maximum: 35 (with some exceptions)
Standard Tour Walking Distance: 1.50 miles
Rendering of Nelson Wastewater Treatment Facility project
This facility is currently under construction. Learn more about the project.
Request a Speaker
Wastewater staff members are also available to visit your location to discuss the wastewater treatment process and other related topics.
Please make your speaker request with as much advanced notice as possible.