Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Overland Park updates MS4 stormwater program after EPA audit; staff details documentation and enforcement fixes
Summary
Staff reported the city exceeded MS4 permit minimums overall but lost net points after audit clarifications; EPA identified two improvement areas (STF documentation and enforcement mechanisms for private facilities) and staff outlined steps taken including outreach improvements and an 82% reduction in nonresponse to notifications.
Lauren Garwood presented an annual update on Overland Park’s MS4 (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for municipal separate storm sewers) program, saying the city has held an MS4 permit since 2004 and that the current permit cycle expires this year. She reported the city exceeded required points across the six minimum control measures but noted a net reduction of eight points from 2024 tied to audit clarifications and the discontinuation of a county-provided scholarship that previously counted toward points.
"The MS 4 permit authorizes the city to discharge stormwater runoff into local creeks and streams," Lauren said, outlining minimum control measures that include public education, public involvement, illicit-discharge detection, construction-site erosion controls, post-construction stormwater treatment, and pollution prevention at municipal facilities. She told the committee the city reached nearly 34,000 participants for public education events and reached more than 3,000 K–12 students in 2025 through partnerships with local school districts.
On audit findings, staff described an EPA audit conducted in June 2025 (final determination December 2025) that identified two improvement areas: documentation and recordkeeping to demonstrate inspections and use of enforcement mechanisms for stormwater treatment facilities. Staff said the city has provided extensive documentation to EPA, improved notification and follow-up procedures for private facility owners and is implementing measures to better track inspections of roughly 27 public treatment facilities and hundreds of private ones. "We were able to organize ourselves and provide them with well over 600 pages of documentation," staff said, adding that the city was working to demonstrate consistent inspection schedules and enforcement follow-up. Committee members asked about potential enforcement consequences; staff said EPA reserved the right to follow up but that no further action had been taken at this time.
Committee members also discussed stormwater funding; staff noted the city’s stormwater utility fee is roughly half that of some neighbors and flagged that the infrastructure advisory group has recommended increasing the fee to provide more stable funding for stormwater needs and potential corrective actions identified in audits. The committee asked staff to return with more detail about corrective timelines and any anticipated budget or fee proposals.
