United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
RESEARCH PROJECT
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Water Supply and Water Resources Division
Urban Watershed Management Branch
DEMONSTRATION OF GREEN/GRAY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR COMBINED SEWER
OVERFLOW CONTROL
IMPACT STATEMENT
This project is a major national demonstration of the
integration of green and gray infrastructure for combined
sewer overflow (CSO) control in a cost-effective and
environmentally friendly manner. It will use Kansas City,
MO, as a case example. The project will have a major
influence on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) goal to implement green practices across the nation.
Advanced infrastructure design concepts, such as low-impact
development (LID) and green solutions (or upland runoff
control techniques), are currently being encouraged by EPA
in the national campaign to improve new and existing
infrastructure valued in the trillions of dollars.
BACKGROUND:
Kansas City, MO, is perfectly positioned for demonstrating the use and effectiveness of applying green infrastructure for
CSO control. The Kansas City Water Services Department (WSD) provides wastewater collection and treatment for
approximately 650,000 people, located within the city and in 27 tributary or "satellite" communities. Approximately 56
square miles within Kansas City, south of the Missouri River, are served by combined sewers. The city's combined
sewers overflow to a number of receiving streams, including the Kansas River, the Missouri River, the Blue River and
Brush Creek. In addition, Kansas City has suffered from severe flooding issues in large part due to substantial increases
in stormwater runoff from ever-increasing impervious surfaces.
Kansas City's WSD has conducted extensive modeling and economic studies of its combined sewer system over the last
five years in preparation for submittal of its long-term CSO control plan to EPA, in January 2009. These studies and
recent funding opportunities have provided the impetus for selection of Kansas City as a case study location for this
project to demonstrate the efficacy and sustainability of green infrastructure approaches in an urban-core neighborhood
served by a combined sewer system.
DESCRIPTION:
The National Risk Management Research Laboratory, of EPA's Office of Research and Development, has funded this
research project in support of its Aging Water Infrastructure (AWI) Research Program. The purpose of this project is to
evaluate the water quality and quantity improvement benefits of a large-scale application of LID or micro-best
management practice retrofits in an entire subcatchment. This project will document the effort by ORD to demonstrate
the efficacy of implementing integrated, green infrastructure-based solutions to support control of wet-weather flow
pollution problems in an urban core neighborhood within a combined sewer system. These green infrastructure controls
have shown that, when implemented and maintained properly, retention at the runoff source can increase - decreasing
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Water Supply and Water Resources Division
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the runoff volume entering the drainage system and the demand on a drainage system. Both developed stormwater
and combined sewersheds can benefit from the added storage from areas retrofitted with bioretention cells or rain
gardens and other management, e.g., inlet retrofits or curb-cuts.
This pilot project is part of a larger adaptive management approach to incorporate Green Solutions into the Kansas City,
Missouri CSO long-term control plan. The project involves local and regional efforts to provide the "basis-for-success" of
the implementation of Green Solution infrastructure and stormwater management at the neighborhood, watershed,
and regional levels. The project will demonstrate the methodology, including model support, for identifying where and
how Green Solutions will be implemented within Kansas City, Missouri. Key project strategies include: demonstrate the
integration of Green Solutions with traditional gray in an urban-core neighborhood having a combined sewer system;
develop a methodology for implementation of Green Solutions; measure the changes, or the reduction of combined
wastewater volumes, pollutant loads, and overflows; develop a model for predicting the quality and quantity benefits of
implementing Green Solutions; and compare economic costs and benefits of integrated green and gray solutions.
EPA GOAL: Goal #2 -Clean & Safe Water; Objective 2.1.1- Water Safe to Drink
ORD MULTI YEAR PLAN: Water Quality (WQ), Long Term Goal - WQ-3 Source Control
RESEARCH PARTNERS :
Collaborators: EPA Region 7
Leveraging: Kansas City Water Services Department (>$6,000,000 for LID construction monitoring equipment, and in-kind services)
Contractors: Terra Tech, Inc.; Subcontractors: University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, University of Missouri - Kansas City, Mid-
America Regional Council (MARC), Bergmann Associates, Inc.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS:
It is expected that this project will result in enhanced acceptance, reduced national costs, and improved aesthetics of
new and innovative technologies for integrating green and gray infrastructure for CSO and stormwater pollution
abatement; assistance to utility managers having combined and separate sewerage systems in choosing cost-effective
control alternatives; support for EPA Program Offices to satisfy the Clean Water Act's Stormwater Permitting and
National CSO Control Policy; and Kansas City, Missouri will use project results for the implementation of CSO control for
the entire city.
OUTPUTS:
Current and expected project outputs include keynote address/proceedings papers; journal article; Interim project
report, 2010; final project reports: 1) Universal Guidance Methodology for the integration of green and gray
infrastructure for CSO and stormwater (WWF) pollution abatement, 2012; 2) Project Report/Technical Manual for
planning, design, monitoring, evaluation including cost of green-approach vs. conventional WWF control, 2012.
RESOURCES:
Aging Water Infrastructure Research Program: http://www.epa.gov/awi/
Urban Watershed Management Research: http://www.epa.gov/ednnrmrl/
CONTACTS:
Richard Field, Principal Investigator - (732) 321-6674 orfield.richard@epa.gov
Steven Doub, Media Relations - (513) 569-7503 ordoub.steven@epa.gov
Michelle Latham, Communications - (513) 569-7601 or latham.michelle@epa.gov
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Water Supply and Water Resources Division
www.epa.gov/nrmrl
EPA/600/F-09/039
October 2009
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