Kansas City has an extensive system of stormwater and sewer pipes that have been built over the past two centuries, but most people don’t spend much time thinking about them. The systems are usually “out of sight and out of mind,” especially on dry days.

Some of the problems associated with Kansas City’s aging stormwater and sewer system include:

• Flooding that is a threat to life and property;
• Polluted waterways from stormwater runoff and sewer overflows; and
• Basement back-ups.

The City of Kansas City, Mo., is required to submit a plan to control sewer overflows to state and federal regulators. The regulators require the City to develop a plan and implement controls that address sewer overflows from the separate sanitary sewer system and to the combined sewer system. For more information on regulations, please click here.

Federal and state regulations on stormwater address water quality, but regulations do not require the City to address flooding. Any improvements made to the stormwater system to manage flooding will be a choice made by the City.