"But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with them, saying, 'The water is ours!' So he named the well Esek, because of the conflict. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it, too. So he named it Sitnah. And he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it, so he named it Rehoboth, and he said, 'At last the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.'"
From this incident, recounted in the Book of Genesis, it is clear that the connection between water and prosperity has been recognized for thousands of years. Finding the well Rehoboth today--the management of water and water pollution--is essential to the survival of urban populations. One of America's foremost engineers wrote in 1970, "A reliable supply of potable water to the consumer is the 'life stream' that makes modern American civilization and urban development possible."
Brian Hufford, a graduate student in the Master of Urban Affairs degree program at Wichita State University's Center for Urban Studies, compiled this history of public water supply and pollution control in Wichita, Kansas, while working for the Wichita Water Department as a management intern. The information was culled from personal interviews, reports, periodicals, and official and internal government and corporate documents dating from 1871.
Understanding history enhances the appreciation of the present and strengthens preparation for the future. In documenting the century-long history of the water utility, this work traces the development of the city itself and depicts, from the perspective of one city agency, the birth and growth of an American metropolitan environment.
John D. Wynkoop
Director of Water and Water Pollution Control
Wichita, Kansas