How the Heart of America is Goin' Green to Solve Water and Sewer Issues

As budgets tighten and the economy shows stresses from high energy costs, leaders are putting on their thinking caps and becoming creative problem solvers. In one aging American city that straddles a state line, Kansas City, such regional initiatives as 10,000 Rain Gardens, Conversations on the Environment, a regional Sustainability Academy, and the Kansas City Power and Light utility agreement with the Sierra Club to use more alternative energy sources such as wind power, have brought national attention and widespread acclaim. The appeal of goin' green as a region means that Kansas City can become a national model for sensible, sustainable growth. One way to be a national model is to learn from others about solving common urban issues like polluted stormwater runoff and raw sewage overflowing during wet weather due to antiquated combined sewers. Kansas City leaders have traveled to Seattle and Portland to view green solutions that treat water as a resource, capturing and using stormwater to recharge the water table. They have seen green infrastructure such as rain gardens, bio-retention facilities, and stream buffers, which reduce storm water runoff and water pollution, create recreational amenities, and protect natural resources. These green solutions are integrated and include renewable energy, solid waste recycling, mass transit, bike/pedestrian infrastructure and other measures that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve environmental quality.