City of Manhattan
MANHATTAN, KS – The City of Manhattan’s Department of Public Utilities once again has received several state and national awards recently for excellence in wastewater treatment processes. Manhattan was selected as the 2026 recipient of two awards this year from the Kansas Water Environment Association (KWEA).
The City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) received both the Class 5 Plant Operations & Maintenance Award (for plants that process more than 3 million gallons per day) and the Outstanding Biosolids Management Program.
"As a member of the City of Manhattan’s Department of Public Utilities team, I am very proud of these achievements which demonstrate the commitment and dedication of the Department of Public Utilities staff to providing clean water services that protect the environment, improve public health, and enhance the quality of life for the people of Manhattan," said Abdu Durar, environmental compliance officer for the City of Manhattan.
Manhattan‘s WWTP previously was honored in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025 for its Biosolids Management Program, and it also received the Class 5 Treatment Plant awards in 2001, 2002, 2015 (honorable mention), 2024, and 2025.
Randy DeWitt, the City’s Director of Public Utilities, and Environmental Compliance Manager Abdu Durar, along with several other members of the department (Clint Bivens, WWTP Superintendent ; Daniel Tidwell, Biosolids/Liftstation Supervisor; and Price Rauch, Environmental Compliance Specialist) received the awards on behalf of the City on September 9, 2026, at an awards luncheon in the Grand Eagle Ballroom at the Wichita Hyatt Regency Hotel.
The City’s WWTP also was honored by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) during a July 15, 2026, ceremony at the NACWA’s 2026 Utility Leadership Conference in Cleveland, Ohio.The WWTP was recognized by NACWA for its outstanding level of compliance and performance related to its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
A NPDES permit is required for wastewater treatment facilities to discharge into waters of the United States. It outlines requirements that ensure discharges do not harm water quality or human health.
The plant was awarded the NACWA Peak Performance Platinum Award for achieving 100% compliance at the Gold level with no permit violations for the entire eight-year period (2018-2025).This is the fourth consecutive year that Manhattan‘s WWTP received the national NACWA award, and the third year in a row that Manhattan‘s WWTP was honored with all three NACWA & KWEA awards.