Kansas City Board of Public Utilities
| Company type | Municipal utility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public utility |
| Founded | 1909 |
| Headquarters | Kansas City , United States |
Area served | Wyandotte County, Kansas; parts of Leavenworth and Johnson counties |
Key people | Six-member elected board |
| Products | Electricity, water |
| Parent | Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas |
| Website | www |
The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is a municipally owned, nonprofit public utility headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas, serving Wyandotte County. Spanning 127.5 square miles within Wyandotte County, BPU delivers electric services throughout Kansas City, Kansas (KCK), and supplies water to KCK as well as portions of Wyandotte, Leavenworth, and Johnson counties.
Functioning as an administrative branch of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas (UG), BPU is overseen by a six-member board elected by the public.
History
In 1909, local residents approved acquiring a private water system to enhance service quality. The electric utility commenced operations near the end of 1912. Presently, BPU operates as a nonprofit municipal utility under the governance of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and is self-managed by its elected board members.
Energy generation
BPU provides electricity to approximately 65,000 customers within its 127.5-square-mile service area in Kansas City, Kansas. Its power system comprises three generating stations, 29 substations, and more than 3,100 miles of electrical distribution lines. The Nearman Creek Power Station has a generating capacity of 315 MW, Quindaro Power Station produces 316 MW, and the Kaw Power Station—currently offline—offered 92 MW.
The utility’s energy production facilities include:
- Nearman Creek Power Station
- Quindaro Power Station
- Dogwood Natural Gas Energy Facility
- Smoky Hills Wind Farm
- Alexander Wind Farm
- Cimarron Bend Wind Farm
- Bowersock Hydropower Plant
- Oak Grove Landfill Project
- Community Solar Farm
In 2014, BPU entered a two-decade power purchase agreement securing roughly half of the output from the Alexander Wind Farm located in Alexander, Kansas. By April 2016, BPU collaborated with Google and Trade Wind Partners to acquire electricity from the Cimarron Bend Wind Project.
Water services
The Nearman Water Treatment Plant in Kansas City, Kansas, operated by BPU, serves over 51,000 individuals. This facility includes two of the nation’s largest horizontal collector wells, an extensive network of 1,000 miles of water mains, and three primary pumping stations. The horizontal collector well extends to a depth of 135 feet and is capable of extracting up to 54 million gallons per day (mgd) from an underground aquifer.
Raw water is conveyed to the treatment plant where it undergoes processing via six dual-media filtration basins. On-site monitoring ensures control over turbidity levels, pH balance, and temperature. Renovations completed in late 2016 involved upgrades to valves and hydrants, implementation of leak detection initiatives, filter enhancements, distribution system maintenance, replacement of water mains, and construction of a new reservoir with a four-million-gallon capacity.
Awards and recognition
In 2016, the American Water Works Association honored BPU with the Directors Award for outstanding performance in water treatment operations, acknowledging its dedication to delivering high-quality drinking water.
During the same year, BPU received the Community Service Award from the American Public Power Association (APPA) in recognition of its active community involvement through volunteer efforts, charitable contributions, environmental stewardship, and civic leadership.
Furthermore, BPU has been recognized with APPA’s Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) award for maintaining dependable electric service delivery.
See also
- Wyandotte County, Kansas
- Kansas City, Kansas
- Johnson County, Kansas
- Wind power in Kansas
- List of power stations in the United States