A south-central Kansas community where nitrate levels in the water supply have long exceeded federal standards is working to address the contamination.

The Pretty Prairie City Council has hired an attorney in order to gain more time from environmental regulatory agencies to address the high nitrate levels in the drinking water.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency informed city officials in 2013 that Pretty Prairie had exceeded the nitrate standard for nearly 20 years and the problem was worsening.

The Hutchinson News reports the council also has continued planning for a potential water treatment system that could cost more than $2 million. An engineering firm is developing a preliminary engineering report for the water treatment system, and KDHE has stretched a deadline for the report to Sept. 1.