The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded the Kansas City Water Services Department a $1.4 million grant for “green” storm water infrastructure improvements in conjunction with the Beacon Hill Redevelopment Project.
The project will include features such as rain gardens and landscaped, graded areas built with a special soil mix that absorbs and filters storm water runoff, the department said in a release Dec. 10. The landscaping helps reduce storm water runoff, removes pollutants and replenishes the aquifer.
The department will work with citizens to build rain gardens on 50 sites throughout the project area.
John Franklin, assistant city manager and acting director of the department, said in the release that the project is among the largest housing redevelopment projects in the nation using green infrastructure.
Source: Kansas City Business Journal
