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KC Water Announced Details of New Green Infrastructure Project at the Kansas City VA Medical Center and Avenue of Life Building

Posted on January 10, 2020

(Kansas City, Mo.) – KC Water announced details and features of the new green infrastructure project at the KCVA Medical Center and Avenue of Life Building at a media event January 9th.

In an effort to reduce stormwater volume and sanitary sewer overflow, KC Water is creating a more environmentally friendly green space. This project includes a new walking trail and park area on the grounds of the KCVA Medical Center and the installation of new storm pipes.

KC Water Deputy Director Matt Bond says projects like these are important for Kansas City.

“What we are trying to do is come up with projects that keep the stormwater, rainwater, snow melt out of the combined sewers because the more we do that, then the less we have to build pipes and increase the capacity for treatment,” said Bond.

Not only will the project provide a space that veterans and their families can enjoy, it will also create a natural path for stormwater…with drainage channels and three retention basins to hold additional rain fall.

“We want to make sure the community understands what they will get. We have native plantings they are not going to always look manicured like this. Also we are going to eliminate a lot of paving, ” Bond continued.

At the Avenue of Life building, KC Water will remove the broken concrete, and create an orchard of fruit trees.

Kansas City Councilman Brandon Ellington is happy to see this work get underway.

“This area is ripe for it and it has been needing something that starts to connect the community and start a process for people to be able to utilize,” said Councilman Ellington.

A brief demonstration at the event showed how green infrastructure works with a small rain garden. Dirt, porous rock or sand, allows the water to soak through.

Andy Sauer, is the Green infrastructure task leader for the Smart Sewer program.

“This one is unique because it’s an opportunity to keep stormwater out of the system from a highly hard surface area…you have the hospital up the hill, parking lot, lots of buildings all that generates a lot of runoff right. So this project is a great opportunity because we tackle that high amount of run off and capture it from these hard surfaces before it gets into our sewer system, ” said Sauer.

The project area includes the KCVA Medical Center, the Avenue of Life building and Linwood Green Park.  Construction began October of 2019 and will continue until the fall of 2020.

For more information contact Heather Frierson, KC Water Media Relations Coordinator, at heather.frierson@kcmo.org 816-513-0280, cell 816-674-0211.

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KC Water maintains and operates water treatment and distribution systems, stormwater management systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems for residential and business customers in Kansas City and for wholesale customers in the Kansas City area.  KC Water is primarily funded by fees charged to customers based on their use or impacts on the three utility systems.

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