Stream restoration
There's more to a stream than the soothing gurgle of water passing over rocks. Stream corridors are complex and valuable ecosystems that have been damaged by management practices that increased flooding and bank erosion.

Man-made structures adversely affected our streams and rivers: natural channels were straightened and dredged, the banks covered with concrete and native vegetation destroyed. Previous philosophies for stream management focused on moving water downstream as quickly as possible, with no regard for ecology or natural stream processes.

Now, Lenexa’s Rain to Recreation program identifies stream corridors as critical ecosystems, vital in managing water quality and quantity. By reducing the amount of initial engineering, Lenexa’s use of green infrastructure incorporate stream hydrology and other science to create a more sustainable system.

Watershed maintenance crews
Rain to Recreation program employs two watershed maintenance crews: the green and the gray. The Gray Crew works primarily with the city’s “gray” stormwater infrastructure: pipes, culverts and ditches. The Green Crew works with the city’s BMPs and green infrastructure, managing them for optimum stormwater functionality.

Stream maintenance activities
Stream maintenance activities are primarily for flood protection to increase the natural functions and flow capacities of the stream, while protection floodplains and natural habitat. Lenexa’s green crew conducts the majorities of stream maintenance practices.

Bank stabilization Rain to Recreation’s watershed maintenance crews have repaired eroding banks on several capital improvement projects. Practices include grading, installing energy dissipation devices such as rock weirs, utilizing erosion control products, seeding native plants and planting native riparian trees to provide additional bank stability and increase canopy in the channel.
	Vegetation management Vegetation management involves controlling invasive species and reestablishing native to not only provide flood protection, but also promote increased riparian habitat and water quality. The degree of vegetation management performed depends on local reach conditions, neighboring land uses and existing channel conveyance capacity.
Debris removal Conducted once yearly and on an as-needed basis, the most common type of work conducted in these channels is the removal of limbs or fallen trees that significantly increase the potential for flood damage to structures. In 2008, the crews removed approximately 30 cubic yards of limbs, logs, and trees from the flow line.
	Pollutant and litter collection Both maintenance crews remove pollutants and litter from Lenexa’s 26 miles of city-maintained streams once a year. In the 2008 clean-up, the crews filled 316 55-gallon trash bags, which equaled nearly eight tons of trash collected in just over two weeks. The green crew conducts smaller cleanups on a monthly basis and after every half-inch or greater rainfall event.

How you can help
Many property owners may not realize that what they do affects neighborhoods, stream habitats and water quality downstream. The condition of land surrounding streams directly affects property values, the health of the stream and the well-being and safety of the public.

• Don’t mow to the edge. Mowing close to a stream’s edge damages roots that hold soil in place, causing stream banks to erode and contributing to loss of natural habitats. Avoid mowing within 10 to 25 feet from the edge of a stream.

• Use less fertilizer, less often. When the organic nutrients in fertilizers enter the stream cycle, they degrade water quality. Test your soil for healthy levels of nutrients on a regular basis.

• Landscape with native plants. Check with your local nursery for plants that have deep roots and are naturally adapted to the climate and soil. Their natural properties eliminate or reduce the need for mowing, watering, fertilizers or pesticides.

• Pick up waste. Trash and litter on stream banks is unsightly, unsanitary and unsafe for humans and wildlife. Many items, such as plastic, don’t biodegrade. Proper containment and disposal of organic trash and yard waste is also critical to maintaining clean streams. These materials decompose when they enter the stream cycle, releasing foul odors and leading to poor water quality.

For more information about stream maintenance in Lenexa, contact Alice Hannon, Watershed Superintendent.