DE SOTO, KS — Garney, in partnership with HDR, has completed a $43 million expansion of The City of De Soto’s Water Treatment Plant, restoring an 80-year-old facility and increasing its capacity to 8 million gallons per day (MGD) to support Panasonic Energy’s new electric vehicle battery factory and the city’s long-term growth.
“This $43 million upgrade, fully funded by Panasonic, is more than just an expansion for a single company; it's a transformative investment in De Soto's future that will benefit every resident, without the use of a single public dollar," City Administrator Mike Brungardt said. "It significantly modernizes our water infrastructure, dramatically increasing our capacity and ensuring a reliable, safe water supply for our community for decades to come."
The city selected Garney as the construction manager at risk and HDR as the lead engineer. Using this delivery method, they brought the expanded plant online in just 14 months using early bid packaging, advance procurement of long-lead equipment, and prefabrication of major process units and buildings. The added capacity supports Panasonic’s new 32-gigawatt-hour electric vehicle battery facility — expected to employ up to 4,000 people — while also meeting the community’s ongoing residential and commercial needs.
“From new filtration and pumping to upgraded controls, De Soto now has a future-ready backbone for the Panasonic facility and the surrounding community,” said Bill Morehead, Project Manager at Garney. “This project is proof that smart investment in water unlocks economic opportunity.”
The scope included a new gravity filter building, chemical feed and administrative facilities, an additional softening basin with a lime silo system, two 0.5 MG clearwells, new transfer and high service pump stations, expanded residuals lagoons, and comprehensive electrical and SCADA upgrades. A key decision to construct a new filter facility rather than renovate the existing one reduced risk, minimized disruption to ongoing operations, improved crew safety, and provided a more accurate financial forecast for the city.
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“The expansion is a true example of how partnerships can build resiliency and reliability into an area’s water network,” said Charlie Sievert, HDR Client Services Manager for Missouri and Kansas. “Delivering on all those complexities in a short timeframe created some best practices for how local municipalities and companies can serve our communities.”
The upgraded plant positions De Soto to meet urgent industrial demand while ensuring redundant capacity for residents and businesses, providing resiliency and room for decades of growth.
