Project: State Line Pump Station & Forcemain

JCW conducted in-person and virtual INTERACT meetings for all three project sites on the week of March 7th, 2022.

JCW then held a follow-up public meeting specific to the pump station at 8900 State Line with interested citizens on May 10th, 2022.

JCW is utilizing this website to provide information to the public including the material previously presented, and additional material in response to questions received. JCW will continue to update the website as the project proceeds.

JCW has completed several efforts in response to the input provided by the public at the previous meetings, as well as follow-up questions received. These included:

• JCW developed an enhanced landscaping plan that exceeds the requirements of the city’s development code, including plantings on the west side of Dyke’s Branch Creek to further screen the facility. The figures that follow show the proposed landscaping plan originally presented in the INTERACT meeting and the revised plan based on public input.

• JCW evaluated a Site 1-C for feasibility (see Slides 14-17 of the May 10 presentation)

• Additional alternative building façade enhancements have been evaluated to increase the aesthetic appeal of the pump station building. JCW also evaluated and will recommend to the Planning Commission a shorter pump station that utilizes a floodwall. This revised pump station design will have a building height similar to that of the existing parking garage on the property. The following figures depict the pump station design presented at the INTERACT meeting, the revised design per public input presented at the May 10 public meeting, and the shorter pump station to be presented at the Planning Commission meeting.

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Pump Station design presented at the INTERACT meeting:

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Pump Station design presented at the May 10 public meeting:

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Pump Station - shorter design presented at the Planning Commission Meeting:

The service line connections will be located prior to construction and will be noted in the plans to be protected during construction so that they remain in service. Sewer service should not be interrupted as part of the project.

This project has been designed to minimize noise to the public and will be in compliance with the City of Leawood’s noise ordinance.

The potential sources of noise will be the pumps and the blower motor for the odor control system carbon scrubber. The pumps will be located below water in the wet well (approximately 25-30 ft below grade) and would only be heard if you were listening right at the hatches above the pumps. The blower motor for the odor control fan will be located in a sound dampening enclosure that will be within the walls of the pump station.

Below is an excerpt from the City of Leawood’s noise ordinance (Article 2, Section 16-2-9.1):

“No use shall create noise in excess of that of normal daily traffic measured at the lot lines of the premises. In no case shall the noise level exceed 60 dB at repeated intervals or for a sustained length of time, measured at any point along the property line.”

It is necessary that the pump station be located in the vicinity of 89th Street and State Line as this is the location where the existing sewer interceptors for the Dyke’s Branch sewershed converge. Please refer to the May 10 Presentation (Slide 8) showing the existing sewer locations in the area.

JCW’s design team identified five potential properties and weighed several factors. The May 10 Presentation (Slides 9-13) shows the different site locations considered.

• Site 1 – This site was initially identified to be an advantageous location as it is the closest to the junction of the incoming sewers. The closer the site is located to the junction of the existing sewers, the less amount of pipe and corresponding cost and disturbance required to connect these sewers to the pump station.

• Site 2 – This site would be 75 feet from the nearest residential lot (Leawood Estates) and 40 feet from the adjacent commercial building, this compares to Site 1 which is 310 feet (more than four times farther) from the nearest residential lot in the Village of Leawood and 215 feet (more than five times farther) from the commercial building to the north. For this reason, Site 1 was determined to be preferable to Site 2. In addition, the access to Site 2 would be difficult for JCW.

• Site 3 – This site was ruled impractical because the Dyke’s Branch interceptor would be on the opposite side of the Dyke’s Branch Culvert (twin 10’x10’ boxes) from the pump station. Crossing beneath the culvert with the connecting sewer adds depth to the pump station making this alternative cost prohibitive. An added complication for this site is that this pump station would receive flows originating in Kansas City, outside of JCW’s service area.

• Site 4 – This site is too far north to feasibly connect all of the sewer lines that carry flow from the southern part of the sewershed. This location would only intercept approximately 80% of the flow from the sewers and would result in an estimated $23 million more in costs paid to KCMO over a 20 year period than the other alternatives considered.

• Site 5 – This site was investigated at the request of the property owner. There were several disadvantages to this site. It would require removal of more trees compared to than Site 1, on both the east and west sides of Dyke’s Branch. Tree removal is required in order to divert the largest of the sewers to the north to get to the pump station site. The park on the west side of Dyke’s Branch would likely be disrupted during the construction period. This site also was determined to cost approximately $1 million more than Site 1, due to demolition of the existing parking structure, additional sewer rerouting, and increased depth of excavation for the pump station (approx. 50 ft).

The analysis of these factors by our design team supported the decision to locate the pump station at Site 1 in the ground level parking south of the elevated parking structure.

After determining the general site location, the next step was to determine the best location on the site property for the pump station. The primary considerations were floodplain impacts, compatibility with the site usage by the property owner, and impacts on neighbors. This area is in the 100-year floodway and finding a site that minimizes floodplain impacts on the surrounding properties is important. The two locations considered are shown in the May 10 Presentation (slides 14-17).

• Far southwest corner of parking lot (Site A).

  • While this location would cause the least disruption to the property owner, it would result in a base flood rise on 22 properties, 17 of which were residential lots, the most impacted lots of the sites considered.

• 30 feet north of the southwest corner of the parking lot (Site B).

  • This resulted in a No-Rise condition for the base flood rise in the floodway encroachment on only two properties, neither of which are residential lots.

  • This location was also more equidistant to existing structures than Site A.

As requested, following the INTERACT Meeting, a site in the southeast corner of the parking lot was evaluated (Site C). This resulted in a base flood rise on 11 properties, 8 of which were residential lots.

As a result, the recommendation for the pump station location is Site B. This location:

• Collects all the flow from the sewer lines

• Has the least floodplain impacts

• Is more equidistant from other existing structures than other alternatives

• Preserves the use of commercial property for future uses

• Site 1 has the lowest project cost (Sites A, B, and C are similar)

JCW understands that there remain resident concerns about the recommended location. JCW has attempted to respond to these concerns through a variety of modifications and enhancements to the proposed design, including, with the aid of the City of Leawood, additional screening and vegetation, and structure architectural appearance. JCW also evaluated and will recommend to the Planning Commission a shorter pump station that utilizes a floodwall. This revised pump station design will have a building height similar to that of the existing parking garage on the property.

Following the Planning Commission’s approval of Site B, JCW and some Leawood citizens met to discuss the viability of making modifications to the Site B layout to potentially preserve more trees. The proposed revised site plan is shown below. JCW agreed to look into this layout, and performed a flood modeling exercise. The flood modeling, shown below on the floodplain figure, shows that the revision to the site plan generates a flood rise on surrounding properties, and thus will not be considered further. JCW will present the shorter pump station with the floodwall located at Site B to the City Council.

SITE PLAN MARKUP:

FLOODPLAIN FIGURE:

Updated August 5, 2022

Minimizing tree removal is a factor that JCW considers when planning a project, however there are many factors when selecting a location. JCW worked with the property owner to arrive at a mutually agreeable location for the pump station that minimizes the potential for conflicts with current and future use of the property and meets the requirements of Leawood’s development code. This required a location on the edge of the parking lot and partially into the trees adjacent to Dyke’s Branch. See the next question for information regarding the restoration plan.

The exact number of trees will not be determined until final design. However, a preliminary tree survey was performed at the request of the City for Site B. The May 10 Presentation (Slide 24) shows the findings of the tree survey and the anticipated excavation limits based on the conceptual design. After receiving input from neighbors, we have re-evaluated the revegetation plan presented in the INTERACT meeting, and an updated landscaping plan is shown in the May 10 Presentation (Slide 25). This updated plan includes 12 additional Taylor Junipers to meet City requirements. In addition, we have consulted with the City and have agreed to have 10 Bald Cypress trees planted in the park area between Village of Leawood residences and Dyke’s Branch to provide additional screening. The figures that follow show the proposed landscaping plan originally presented in the INTERACT meeting and the revised plan based on public input.

With any JCW project we keep odors in mind and know that this is a priority issue for neighbors. The best odor control technologies available will be incorporated into the pump station. Liquid chemical treatment will be provided at the site to inhibit the formation of odors in the forcemain. Vapor phase carbon scrubber treatment will be utilized to pull air from the pump station wet well and force that air through activated carbon, before releasing it to the atmosphere. The activated carbon media will be inspected/monitored routinely and will be replaced on an as needed basis to ensure it functions as intended. Further, it is important to note that the retention time of wastewater in the pump station will be less than typical. Less retention time means less odor potential.

Activated carbon is a very effective and reliable odor control technology, and if the fan is running, the system works very well. Mechanical failure of the fan would be the only reason why the odor control system would fail to adequately treat the air. JCW standard practice is to monitor the blower motor of the carbon scrubber and chemical feed pumps through their remote monitoring Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. If one of these devices fails, an alarm is triggered and JCW staff will visit the site as soon as possible to address the issue. In addition, JCW has a hotline for residents to inform JCW of odor concerns. A ticket is created, and a crew will be sent to the site within 24 hours to address the issue. The hotline can be accessed at (913) 715-8600.

It was requested that the north, west, and south sides of the building be built with a moderate and neutral color palette to blend into the trees versus contrasting with them.

We have revisited the façade on the south, west and north sides and have developed an enhanced façade of the original concept presented in the INTERACT meeting. The May 10 Presentation (Slides 22-23) shows two alternate concepts. These concepts will be revisited in final design. Slides 29-34 show renderings of the pump station with the revised architectural concepts.

In general, JCW constructs pump stations with architectural finishes that match the zoning for where it is located. The pump station is proposed to be located on commercial property, and the architectural finishes are meant to blend with the existing commercial buildings on the 8900 State Line site.

Factors that impact the height of the building include JCW and Kansas Department Health and Environment (KDHE) service requirements, and the City of Leawood’s floodplain development ordinance. These require a structure to be protected from the 100-year flood elevation plus 2 feet.

Previously, JCW presented a pump station option that placed the electrical and mechanical equipment rooms and the operating level of the pump station to an elevation of 877.00, with an overall building height at an elevation of 894.33, which was approximately 30 feet above the parking lot grade.

Due to the feedback received regarding the height of the pump station, JCW also evaluated and will recommend to the Planning Commission a shorter pump station that utilizes a floodwall. The floodwall will meet the floodplain requirements, while still allowing the building to be shorter. This revised pump station design will have a building height similar to that of the existing parking garage on the property (approximately an elevation of 881). The following figures depict the pump station design presented at the INTERACT meeting, the revised design per public input presented at the May 10 public meeting, and the shorter pump station to be presented at the Planning Commission meeting.

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Pump Station design presented at the INTERACT meeting:

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Pump Station design presented at the May 10 public meeting:

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Pump Station - shorter design presented at the Planning Commission Meeting:

The project is described in Section 5.2.3 of the JCW Integrated Plan and referenced elsewhere in the report. Excerpt below:

“Leawood Service Area Pump Stations and Forcemain - Two pump stations are planned to intercept flows from Leawood which are currently conveyed across State Line for treatment by Kansas City. One will be located at IMF Site 10/11 at approximately 90th and State Line Road. It will intercept the collection system flows as well as the dry weather Dyke’s Branch flows as described above…”

The project is listed as “Leawood Service Area Improvements” in the 5-Year Action Plan

Our first formal presentation of the project to the City was on August 19, 2020, although it was mentioned earlier in discussions with the City during the Tomahawk Wastewater Treatment Facility Expansion project.

JCW is participating in the City of Leawood Planning and Development process, as a way to receive feedback and work with the community.

The City is responsible for administration of the National Flood Insurance Program, and JCW will comply with these requirements.

Please refer to the table below:

The current estimated project cost is $31 million, including construction, engineering, and land acquisition. As a result of this project, JCW ratepayers will save millions of dollars ($100 million over 20 years) by having that flow to go the recently rebuilt Tomahawk Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Each property that is outlined in red is affected by the flood rise. The area shaded in blue was indicated by our flood model as having a rise in the 100-year base flood elevation. Many of these properties are already impacted by the flood plain, meaning during a flood event with 100-year return frequency (or an event that has a 1% chance per year), the water level of Dyke’s Branch will reach the property. If the property is outlined in red, it means that the base flood elevation on that property would be higher after the pump station is built.

Renderings, perspective views, and cross sections of the conceptual pump station layout were only completed for Site 1-B because it was the recommended alternative. While it is believed that the impacts to the natural habitat would be similar, this investigation was not undertaken.

This means that Site 1-B is not significantly closer to any one property over another – its position is such that the pump station is almost equidistant from the commercial properties and the furthest adjacent neighbors are in the Village of Leawood. Any other location on site moves the pump station closer to an individual property.

JCW worked with the property owner to arrive at a mutually agreeable location for the pump station that minimizes the potential for conflicts with current and future use of the property and meets and exceeds the requirements of Leawood’s development code.

At this level of conceptual design, JCW does not believe there is a significant cost difference between Sites A, B, or C. In general discussions with an appraiser, it is likely the valuation of the property will be similar, regardless of the pump station location on the 8900 State Line Property. The current estimated project cost is $31 million, including construction, engineering, and land acquisition. Negotiation of land acquisition is ongoing and cannot be shared at this time.

JCW is projected to pay KCMO $4.6 Million for treatment of the flow for the 3 pump station sites in 2022. Long term cost comparisons were developed by comparing JCW’s capital costs for the project, projected costs to treat the flow at the Tomahawk Creek WWTF and operate and maintain the pump stations versus the cost of sending that same flow to KCMO for treatment. The evaluation determined that JCW would save over $100 million over the next 20 years by constructing the project.