*NOTE: Lunch will be served at 11:45 in the Main Building, immediately following the next three sessions. The Josh Roundy keynote will take place during lunch (more info at the bottom).
WEDNESDAY 10:15 - 10:45 a.m.
Watershed Planning Room
Erica Schmitz
Stantec
Erica Schmitz
A recent emphasis on flood risk mitigation is the use of Nature-base Solutions (NbS). NbS are actions to protect, sustainably manage, or restore natural or modified ecosystems (such as floodplains) to address societal challenges, while simultaneously providing benefits for people and the environment. This presentation explores specific NbS that are applicable within the state of Kansas.
Stantec will share a case study where a 2D watershed model was used to investigate potential mitigation benefits of NbS. Results demonstrate that strategically planned NbS not only enhance natural systems but also deliver measurable benefits to communities, such as reduced flood risk. This work highlights the potential of coupling NbS with 2D modeling techniques to identify mitigation solutions and inform community decision-making.
Civil Works Room
Alyssa Wherry
Black & Veatch
Alyssa Wherry
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is a vital component of sustainable urban development, providing ecological and hydrological benefits while addressing stormwater challenges. Successful implementation of GSI projects requires effective coordination with contractors, particularly during the construction phase. This presentation will explore key insights gained from two active projects: Wyandotte High/Lombardy Drive Green Infrastructure Project and CSO 44 Green Infrastructure Project. Through firsthand experience, we have identified four essential lessons that contribute to improved project outcomes and long-term sustainability.
MS4/CSO Programs & Standards Room
Joshua Horne
Geosyntec Consultants
Joshua Horne
Local governments, private businesses, and property owners apply deicing material to roadways, parking lots, and sidewalks throughout winter. Chloride, the primary component of deicing material such as calcium chloride, generically known as road salt, is highly dissolvable in aqueous environments. Conventional structural best management practices (BMPs) designed to capture, store, and remove pollutants in stormwater runoff are relatively ineffective at removing chloride. Therefore, the BMPs used to reduce chlorides are most often non-structural, meaning “use less of it.”
Hinkson Creek is an urban stream that flows through Columbia, Missouri. For decades, state and federal agencies and researchers have examined Hinkson Creek following its inclusion on the 1998 United States Environmental Protection Agency 303(d) list for an aquatic life impairment from an unknown pollutant and unknown source. Geosyntec’s recent aquatic life (macroinvertebrate) research indicates that chloride is a likely stressor impacting Hinkson Creek’s aquatic life.
Alongside the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) partners (City of Columbia, University of Missouri, and Boone County, Missouri), Geosyntec is performing a three (3) year (2024-2026) water quality monitoring study of Hinkson Creek and its tributaries. Eleven monitoring stations are strategically located in the watershed and continuously collecting data to characterize where, when, and to what extent and duration chloride may be entering local waterways. You’ll learn about the techniques, technology, and experiences of this first of its kind Missouri MS4 water quality monitoring study!
WEDNESDAY 10:45 - 11:15 a.m.
Watershed Planning Room
(no session)
Civil Works Room
Kevin Lewis
Black & Veatch
Kevin Lewis
The in-progress APWA 5600 revisions are intended to allow increased flexibility with regard to stormwater management from developed sites. However, with this flexibility comes a responsibility to select, design, and maintain appropriate BMPs. This responsibility is shared by the design engineer, reviewing authority, construction contractor, and maintenance provider. Fortunately, there are several best practices to help drive the successful implementation of a BMP facility.
Stormwater BMP success is driven by several considerations: site selection, type of BMP, plant selection and landscaping, and foresight to operations and maintenance activities. Success of a BMP is best defined based on the function of the BMP, with treatment of stormwater runoff being paramount. Other success criteria may include enhancing a site’s sense of place through amenities and landscaping considerations, cost-benefit based on both capital and O&M considerations, and restoration of native habitat.
Site selection entails more than location within a proposed development: location within the watershed, topography and existing landscaping, soils, availability of groundwater, and feasibility of land acquisition and easements. Both upstream and downstream considerations can have a significant impact in determining the appropriateness and effectiveness of a BMP facility.
BMPs are best selected based on where they are located and their intended purpose: bioretention and tree planters have limited capacity and are best suited to the smaller drainage areas located higher up in watersheds, whereas detention and retention basins have much higher capacity and are capable of functioning lower in a watershed; though not explicitly identified in regional standards, stream BMPs provide an option for lower-watershed sites.
Vegetated BMPs must be vegetated based on species that can be expected to flourish in the anticipated conditions of the BMP. Many tree boxes do not provide adequate root space for large trees, making them more ideal for small trees and shrubs. Basins tend to encompass varied inundation regimes that require vegetation adapted to those conditions. Additionally, many commonly selected native wildflowers do best in well-drained poor soils where they can out-compete other species, making the nutrient-rich and often-saturated soils of a basin challenging.
Frequently, BMP design considerations end with construction of the facility; however, without adequate O&M, the facility will fail to perform as intended. Without adequate foresight, BMPs can quickly become prohibitively expensive to maintain, whereupon the facility silts in or is overrun by weeds, reducing its effectiveness. Facilities generally should be designed to minimize the O&M requirements and to facilitate the O&M that will be required.
MS4/CSO Programs & Standards Room
Sydney Hohn
KS Department of Health and Environment
Hannah Zehr
KS Department of Health and Environment
This session will go over the KDHE MS4 inspection process and provide insight as to how permittees might prepare for an inspection. Topics will include KDHE’s inspection cycle, procedures, common deficiencies, and follow up requirements for compliance issues. A brief summary of the EPA audit process will also be presented.
WEDNESDAY 11:15 - 11:45 a.m.
Watershed Planning Room
Chris Shultz
JEO Consulting Group
Chris Shultz
Urban expansion along the southern boundary of Lawrence, Kansas, approaching K-10 highway and the Wakarusa River valley has heightened the need for proactive flood risk management. With the development approaching the Wakarusa River floodplain, Douglas County desired a hydraulic assessment to gain a better understanding of high flood risk areas within the corridor. This study, which spans from Clinton Lake’s outlet to its confluence with the Kansas River near Eudora, aims to identify areas within the corridor which are at a high relative flood risk with the overall goal of reducing flood risk, decreasing damage from flood events, and supporting sustainable land conservation strategies as a nature-based solution to reducing flood risk.
The project employed a multi-scenario flood modeling framework, integrating both unregulated natural flows and regulated discharges from Clinton Lake under varying storm events. The modeling was enhanced through assimilation of updated datasets, including the drainage changes due to the South Lawrence Trafficway construction and future urban expansion and population growth. The assessment also included a review of impacts related to the 2019 flood event related to roadway overtopping.
Open space conservation scenarios were evaluated by analyzing flood frequency, inundation depth, velocity, and depth-velocity hazard metrics. Key areas were identified based on inundation due to regulated releases, recurring inundation, bank erosion potential, and areas of primary conveyance. The project further reviewed methods to understand and quantify ecosystem services benefits of open space conservation as a mitigation action. This integrated approach explores how hydraulic modeling can inform land use planning and hazard mitigation policy, balancing development with the preservation of floodplain corridors.
Civil Works Room
Lauren Moore
Burns & McDonnell
Andy Sauer
Burns & McDonnell
The Westport Branch Green Stormwater Infrastructure Project is a 319-funded water quality improvement project that is using 2D modeling approach to evaluate design alternatives. Field investigations to understand site conditions with innovative green infrastructure design and construction techniques were used to meet existing site constraints, reduce long-term maintenance, and improve water quality of the Westport Branch of the North Wilson’s Creek Watershed in Springfield, Missouri. The City identified three underutilized green spaces that could be used to improve water quality by capturing and treating the most frequent runoff. The team collaborated closely with the City during design workshops to select a preferred stormwater concept alternative. A 2D watershed model of the drainage areas was used to establish baseline existing conditions and simulate the performance of proposed improvement alternatives. The 2D model was instrumental in eliminating a costly channel realignment alternative where the model showed no improvement to the flood risk due to downstream constraints outside of the project area. Instead, the City moved forward with purchasing a property to eliminate the flood risk and to expand the green infrastructure for additional water quality and flood benefits. The green infrastructure designs at three different sites use an integrated design approach that optimizes the water quality treatment volume while working within site constraints.
MS4/CSO Programs & Standards Room
Natalie Unruh
Mid-America Regional Council
Natalie Unruh
Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) is a relatively new stormwater management technology that requires nuanced stewardship knowledge that may not be developed through traditional grey infrastructure and landscape management experience. Kansas City regional municipalities recognize the need for GSI training that is targeted to landscape and stormwater inspection professionals to manage these multi-benefit, high-value GSI facilities.
In 2024, the Mid-America Regional Council developed the Mid-America GSI Maintenance Certification Program with funding and guidance from Kansas City regional municipalities and supported by a team of consultant experts. The Program seeks to increase the long-term success of stormwater management in the Kansas City region by verifying the skills of professionals maintaining GSI projects. The Kansas City region is updating stormwater management design and engineering standards. The Program incorporates the management strategies identified in the update, ensuring that certified individuals are prepared to use best practices in GSI maintenance.
11:45 a.m. - Noon: LUNCH SERVED
WEDNESDAY Noon - 1:00 p.m.: Keynote Presentation
