Great Bend Post
Jun 15, 2025

Great Bend company continues ongoing water monitoring

Posted Jun 15, 2025 4:00 PM
A Fuller Industries Inc. employee monitors as newly filled bottles of all-purpose cleaner are packed into boxes. Fuller uses over 25,000 gallons of water daily to make its many products and continually tests to make sure wastewater is safe to discharge.
A Fuller Industries Inc. employee monitors as newly filled bottles of all-purpose cleaner are packed into boxes. Fuller uses over 25,000 gallons of water daily to make its many products and continually tests to make sure wastewater is safe to discharge.

BUSINESS NEWS

Fuller Industries Inc. uses more than 25,000 gallons of water daily as it cycles through the more than 600 commercial and industrial cleaning products it sells to clients across North America. Most of the water goes into the many products that leave the plant west of Great Bend, but some is used for cleaning tanks and washing out lines, which then becomes wastewater.

“We are always very cognizant of what leaves this facility,” said Joe Mann, Fuller’s general manager. “We are deeply committed to doing our part to keep our precious groundwater safe.”

This is no easy task. Fuller, like other manufacturers, must comply with stringent regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as well as meet guidelines required by Great Bend’s wastewater treatment facility.

“Sure, this all sounds cumbersome,” Mann said. “But we are, all of us, morally obligated to do our parts to protect the environment.”

“There is a lot to keep track of,” said Angi Beck, head of the company’s regulatory and compliance efforts. “This all can be very time-consuming; however, it must be done.”

“Water samples are drawn, sometimes daily,” said Tami Jacobs, head of quality control. “They are processed in Fuller’s on-site laboratory where results can be produced in a matter of minutes.” Tests check for pH, anionics and foam levels, among other factors.

“Depending on sampling results, Fuller’s chemists, compliance personnel and production team take the necessary corrective action as needed,” Jacobs said. This process is repeated until the results are within the required parameters.