Applying Adaptive Stormwater Control Technology in KCMO
Kansas City, MO
The City of Kansas City, MO has implemented Opti technology at an existing 1.1 million-gallon stormwater storage facility located within City limits. With Opti, Kansas City is able to directly reduce CSOs and cost-effectively meet its federal obligations.
Topics Covered
Cost
Initial: 50 Thousand USD
O&M: 5 Thousand USD
Funding
General Fund/Existing Public Funds
Project Status
Operational since 2017
Gov Champion
City Manager’s Office at City of Kansas City, MO
Problem Addressed
The City of Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) is the most connected and biggest smart city in North America, and the City’s sewer system provides a key foundation for Smart City initiatives.
KCMO is one of 860 U.S. municipalities with combined sewer systems, the overflows from which represent a major source of water pollution. KCMO is emerging as a leader in developing smart solutions for the city’s combined sewer overflows (CSOs), which are estimated to total 6.4 billion gallons of overflow each year. To meet federally mandated CSO-mitigation requirements under the Clean Water Act, KCMO has implemented a 25-year, $4.5 billion Smart Sewer program.
Solutions Used
In 2016, the City issued a $1 billion Smart Infrastructure Challenge to find and implement strategic and sustainable solutions which will provide $1 billion in savings over the next 10 years.
KCMO is working toward its billion-dollar challenge by utilizing Opti’s technology at a storage facility located at Gardner Avenue within City limits. Opti’s products automatically controls the timing and rate of flow through stormwater storage systems by integrating cloud-based technology, field-deployed water level sensors and flow controls in the form of an actuated valve, and the weather forecast to achieve site-by-site objectives. At the Gardner Avenue facility, the objective is to provide a consistent post-storm retention time to control release of stormwater runoff to the combined sewer system. In advance of wet weather, the actuated valve closes, capturing stormwater runoff in the pond. After a storm event, the runoff is retained in the pond for a specified retention period, then gradually released downstream.
Outcomes
1
CSO-mitigation: The Opti system prevented 98% of wet weather flow in the watershed as compared to 41% that would have occurred without the technology.
2
In the first year, the estimated cost per gallon managed is $0.0195/gallon or $330/control acre. In year two and beyond, the estimated cost per gallon managed is $0.0045/gallon or $80/control acre.
Something Unique
Opti’s technology enables KCMO to prepare and respond to storms predictively, turning the City’s stormwater infrastructure into smart, resilient systems at greatly reduced cost and with less risk than existing alternatives.
Who Should Consider
Cities with consent decrees requiring a reduction in the volume and frequency of sewer overflows.
Last Updated
May 26th, 2020Keywords
