The next time you’re caught in a rainstorm, watch where the water goes. Does it soak into the ground, form a puddle or flow off towards a stormdrain?
Troubled water begins with disturbed land. Ground in Lenexa, once covered with native plants, is being replaced with streets, driveways, roofs and parking lots.
When it rains, these urbanized landscapes can’t infiltrate water the way they used to, creating runoff that picks up speed and pollutants as it travels directly to our streams.
Unlike sewage, which goes to treatment plants, stormwater runoff flows untreated through the stormdrain system. Anything thrown, swept or poured into the street or stormdrain flows directly into our creeks, streams and lakes, which can become choked with pollutants.
What is the city doing?
The City of Lenexa created the Rain to Recreation program to manage its stormwater so everyone in Lenexa has cleaner creeks, streams and lakes to enjoy. The program is staffed by Lenexa’s stormwater team, consisting of staff in the communications division as well as the Municipal Services and Community Development departments.
Rain to Recreation utilizes a variety of efforts to reduce and clean stormwater runoff, following the EPA National Pollutant Discharge and Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
To learn more, view Lenexa’s stormwater management plan or select a topic for more information.
Clean water
Education
Erosion and sediment control
Flood prevention
Green Infrastructure
Illegal dumping
Operations and maintenance
Projects
Research
Stormwater Best Management Practices