(Kansas City, Mo.) – KC Water’s success with two sustainability projects is now online to share more widely how these projects help Kansas City and how they can be replicated elsewhere.
The Middle Blue River Basin Green Solutions Pilot Project and the Swope Campus Parking Lot and Sustainable Stormwater Improvements Project were included in the 2016 Landscape Architecture Foundation Case Study Investigation (CSI) program.
Those studies have now been published. The Landscape Architect Foundation posted the Middle Blue River Basin Green Solutions Pilot Project and Swope Campus Parking Lot and Entry Plaza case studies online.
The Middle Blue River Basin Green Solutions Pilot Project is the first green infrastructure project for Kansas City’s Smart Sewer Program. Through significant investment and public outreach, Kansas City has strived to meet the requirements of the Consent Decree with the implementation of this large-scale green infrastructure project, one of the first in the nation. The purpose of the project was to test a wide range of infrastructure solutions and streetscape improvements for reducing combined sewer overflows in a 100-acre area of the Middle Blue River Basin.
The Swope Campus Parking Lot and Sustainable Stormwater Improvements Project created new, sustainable parking areas and rain gardens at KC Water’s 4800 E. 63rd Street headquarters. They are designed to catch, infiltrate, and slowly release up to a 10-year rain event, which is roughly equivalent to 5 inches of rain within a 24-hour time period. A portion of this project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action on behalf of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
KC Water collaborated with Kansas State University to document the performance of both sites. Results are included in the case studies.
“These case studies show the benefits both projects are already providing to the Kansas City community,” said KC Water Director Terry Leeds. “This joint research effort makes it easier for other agencies to replicate similar sustainability projects to realize the benefits of green infrastructure.”
For more information, please contact Brooke Givens, Media Relations Coordinator, at brooke.givens@kcmo.org or 816.513.0284.
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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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