The term "ready-to-serve fees" typically refers to fixed charges on water bills that cover the costs of maintaining infrastructure and services, regardless of water usage. In Kansas, these are often called service charges, base fees, or minimum charges. Based on available information, many water districts in Kansas charge such fees, but precise data on the exact number is not explicitly documented in the provided sources or widely available public records.
Kansas has over 1,000 public water supply systems, including municipalities, rural water districts (RWDs), and privately owned systems, as regulated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). Most of these systems rely on fixed fees to cover operational costs like meter maintenance, billing, and infrastructure upkeep. For example:
- KC Water in Kansas City, Missouri, which also serves parts of Kansas, charges a "Water Service Charge" and "Wastewater Service Charge" that are fixed and independent of water usage. These are explicitly described as "readiness to serve" charges.
- WaterOne in Johnson County, Kansas, applies a service charge based on meter size, covering meter reading, billing, and fire protection infrastructure, which aligns with the ready-to-serve concept.
- City of Lawrence, Kansas, uses water base fees determined by meter size, separate from consumption charges.
- Public Water Supply District 2 of Cass County, Missouri, which operates near Kansas, has a flat sewer fee and a primacy fee, indicating a similar fixed-charge structure.
While these examples confirm that ready-to-serve fees are common, there’s no comprehensive statewide data specifying how many of the 1,000+ water districts in Kansas charge them. It’s reasonable to infer that the majority do, as fixed charges are a standard utility practice to ensure financial stability, especially for smaller rural districts with variable usage. The Kansas Rural Water Association (KRWA) might have more detailed records, but their website doesn’t provide a public tally.
Without exact figures, a conservative estimate would be that most of the 1,000+ water districts in Kansas charge some form of ready-to-serve or fixed base fee, as this is consistent with industry standards and the examples cited. For precise numbers, you’d need to contact the KDHE’s Public Water Supply Section or the KRWA for a detailed survey, which isn’t available in the current data.
