Water Service Outages in Kansas by City
89% of Kansas's 854 community water systems serve 3,300 people or fewer, so many outages and boil water notices affect a single small town or subdivision.
Kansas drinking water record
Busiest year: 2019 (210 violations). Counted by the year the violation period began. Source: EPA SDWIS.
- Community water systems: 854 active systems serve about 2,872,457 people. 763 of them (89%) serve 3,300 people or fewer; 497 draw mainly on groundwater and 346 on surface water.
- Health-based violations since 2015: 1,826, at 299 systems (35% of all systems). That share is 32nd of 50 states (1 = lowest).
- Most common problems: contaminant averages over the limit (1,070); contaminant readings over the limit (391); uncorrected Ground Water Rule deficiencies (135). Source: EPA SDWIS
- Largest system: Water District 1 of Johnson Co, about 490,000 people, with 0 health-based violations since 2015. Source: EPA SDWIS
- Housing age: the median Kansas home was built in 1976 (US 1980). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table B25035)
- Storm damage to water service: NOAA storm narratives mention water mains, boil water notices or lost water service in 1 episodes in Kansas since 2015. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
- October 12, 2021, Lincoln (lightning): “Lightning struck the water tower in Sylvan Grove which led to the issuance of a boil water advisory for the town.” Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
| System | People served | Main source | Health violations since 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water District 1 of Johnson Co | 490,000 | Surface water | 0 |
| Wichita, City Of | 395,699 | Surface water | 0 |
| Kansas City Board of Public Utilities | 152,960 | Mixed | 0 |
| Olathe, City Of | 143,014 | Surface water | 0 |
| Topeka, City Of | 125,963 | Surface water | 1 |
| Lawrence, City Of | 95,256 | Surface water | 0 |
Source: EPA SDWIS.
Kansas is 2nd of 5 (1 = lowest share). Source: EPA SDWIS.
Checked September 2026.
Who to call in Kansas, city by city
5 Kansas cities on this site and the water utility for each. What to do while you wait is in our water service outage guide.
- Wichita City of Wichita Public Works & Utilities
- Overland Park WaterOne (Water District No. 1 of Johnson County)
- Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU)
- Olathe City of Olathe Utilities
- Topeka City of Topeka Utilities
Frequently asked questions
Is there a water service outage in Kansas right now?
Not on this site: no reports from Kansas in the last 24 hours.
How many public water systems are in Kansas?
EPA records list 854 active community water systems in Kansas, serving about 2,872,457 people. 89% serve 3,300 people or fewer.
How common are drinking water violations in Kansas?
Since 2015, 299 of 854 community water systems in Kansas (35%) have had at least one health-based violation, 1,826 in total.
What is the largest water system in Kansas?
Water District 1 of Johnson Co, which EPA records list as serving about 490,000 people.
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
Cities in Kansas with Water Service Outages Information
Kansas City
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 156,607
Board of Public Utilities (BPU)
Olathe
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 141,290
City of Olathe Utilities
Overland Park
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 195,494
WaterOne (Water District No. 1 of Johnson County)
Topeka
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 125,310
City of Topeka Utilities
Wichita
no reports in the last 24 hours · pop. 397,532
City of Wichita Public Works & Utilities