Roadside ditch maintenance
Roadside ditches move stormwater along a road, diverting it into vegetated areas before it enters lakes, wetlands or streams. This cleans the runoff, which might be polluted with soil (sediment), chemicals or trash, before it enters water bodies.

Routine maintenance of these ditches minimizes erosion and the flow of sediment into streams and other waterways. The City of Lenexa’s watershed maintenance crew evaluates road maintenance needs on a seven-year basis to identify areas that require special attention, such as damaged culverts, steep grades and filled-in ditches. Roadside ditch maintenance prevents flooding by reestablishing proper stormwater drainage. Over time, ditches fill with sediment or erode, altering shape and drainage. The city’s work returns the ditch to its original slope, increasing or restoring drainage, and reseeds fescue that will decrease the flow rate, filtering sediments and pollutants.

Repairs, including pipe and culvert replacement and ditch regrading have been planned for the entire city through 2015.

The plan was created to maintain the roadside ditches on a predictable schedule that looks at staff time, necessary equipment and problem areas to increase efficiency, ensuring we operate cost-effectively and provide better service to our citizens.

Maintaining plants, including grass, in roadside ditches and swales protects water quality. Grasses in drainage ditches slow down stormwater flow and allow sediments to settle out, removing pollutants in the water. Water moves more slowly through grass than it does over pavement, which helps reduce the potential for flooding.

Ditch maintenance in March 2010 will address:

• 83rd Street, between Clare Road and the western city limit;
• Mize Road, from 83rd Street to 91st Street;
• Cedar Niles Road, from 85th Terrace to 83rd Street
• Clare Road, from 79th Street to 83rd Street.

September 2010 ditch maintenance plans are for:

• 91st Street, between Mize and Clare roads;
• The Oakcrest Estates neighborhood, located at 90th Street and Cedar Niles Road;
• The Greentree Estates neighborhood, 85th Street and Cedar Niles Road.

2010 ditch maintenance plans are shown in blue on the map. Spring ditch maintenance work is anticipated to begin the second week of March and tentatively finish by mid-April, weather permitting, and fall work is planned to begin the second week of September and potentially finish by mid to late October. These schedules are tentative and dependent upon the weather.

View 2009 - 2015 Ditch Maintenance Schedule