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Public Works: 15 miles of corrugated pipe, increasing sinkholes and limited stormwater funding hamper repairs
Summary
City public works staff reported widespread stormwater infrastructure deterioration, multiple orange-fence emergency sites and a backlog of more than 100 stormwater projects; staff said the stormwater fund of about $1.1 million per year funds only a handful of major repairs and will not keep up with accelerating system failures.
Leavenworth public works staff gave a detailed 2025 infrastructure update to the City Commission, warning that aging stormwater systems — including about 15.5 miles of corrugated metal pipe — are failing and creating sinkholes, erosion and localized roadway collapse.
Public works staff described a series of completed and in-progress stormwater repairs, including new inlet and pipe work on 20th and Seneca, storm-pipe replacement on Sixth Avenue and Spruce, and a Ninth and Osage reconstruction. Staff said crews also replaced a failed 48-inch corrugated pipe at a parking area near the guidance center and repaved the lot using city crews to reduce contract costs.
The department said many failures occur where older corrugated metal pipe corrodes at the invert and creates voids as surrounding material slips into the pipe. Staff estimated 15.5 miles of corrugated pipe in the city and said the stormwater fund collects about $1.1 million per year; with that funding the city can complete roughly four to five projects a year, depending on pipe size and depth. Staff warned that deep replacements (for example 72-inch pipes at 20–25 feet depth) are extremely costly and time-consuming and that the current funding trajectory will not catch up with accelerating failures.
Staff described “orange fence” sites — temporary safety barriers around failing inlets or sinkholes — and said the city maintains a book of more than 100 stormwater projects that will require design, easements and construction. Several sinkhole examples and aerial photos of erosion and failed crossings were shown during the presentation.
Public works also reported related capital work: a 2025 mill overlay program, ultra-thin bonded asphalt surface (UBAS) treatments on Eisenhower, sidewalk grants (including a KDOT-funded ADA ramp project and a Safe Routes to School planning grant), Fourth Street improvements and a list of future stormwater, sidewalk and road projects. The wastewater utility (WPC) is upgrading switchgear, ordering a dewatering press and conducting a master-plan update; staff showed drone footage of the treatment plant and new administrative facilities.
Commissioners asked for project lists and timelines; staff said GIS will publish project maps and story maps to the city website and that inspectors and field crews are tracking calls and project status to keep the public informed. Public works leaders urged the commission to reassess stormwater funding levels, noting the current fund balance and annual receipts cover only a small fraction of the system’s long-term needs.
