(Kansas City, Mo.) – KC Water is embarking on the Keep Out the Rain KC program, a no-cost, voluntary program to help property owners fix improper plumbing connections that contribute to the overflow of diluted sewage into the environment and sewage backups in homes and businesses.
“This program is really a partnership between KC Water and property owners,” said Terry Leeds, Director of KC Water. “Property owners in the program areas have an opportunity to have their improper connections fixed at no cost. This is also an opportunity for KC Water customers to play a direct role in helping meet the Federal Consent Decree requirements and help improve the quality of water in our streams, lakes, and rivers.”
Properties within the program area will be offered an evaluation of interior and exterior plumbing connections. If improper connections are identified and determined cost-effective to repair, KC Water will, for a limited time, fix those connections at no cost to the property owner.
Repairs will be completed by plumbers who are licensed to do business in Kansas City and have been pre-qualified to participate in Keep Out the Rain KC. KC Water will cover the cost of the evaluations and any qualifying repairs.
Examples of improper connections could include gutter downspouts, sump pumps, and other drainage mechanisms that are designed to carry stormwater and have been improperly connected to the City’s wastewater system, allowing rainwater into sanitary sewer pipes where it doesn’t belong.
During heavy rain, this rainwater can overwhelm our sanitary sewer system forcing diluted sewage into neighborhoods, streams and rivers, and contributing to sewage backups in homes and businesses. Furthermore, rainwater that enters the wastewater system must be treated, driving up the cost of treating and maintaining the City’s wastewater system.
The Keep Out the Rain KC program area was created by identifying areas throughout Kansas City where fixing these improper plumbing connections would provide the most cost-effective solutions to reducing the amount of rainwater entering our wastewater system.
Over the six-year program, KC Water will be reaching out to more than 55,000 properties. Property owners can find out if their property qualifies and when KC Water contractors plan to be in their area by entering their address in the online interactive map.
For more information, including Frequently Asked Questions and graphics, please visit kcwaterservices.org/rain.
Keep Out the Rain KC is one piece of Kansas City’s largest infrastructure investment, the Overflow Control Program (OCP), a 25-year, $4.5-5 billion effort to improve sewer reliability and water quality in our region for generations to come.
For more information, please contact Brooke Givens, Media Relations Coordinator, at brooke.givens@kcmo.org or 816.513.0284.
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KC Water maintains and operates water treatment and distribution systems, stormwater management systems, and wastewater collection and treatment systems for residential and business customers in Kansas City and for wholesale customers in the Kansas City area. KC Water is primarily funded by fees charged to customers based on their use or impacts on the three utility systems.
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