Stormwater Regulations, Permits, Development & Certifications

     A photograph of construction traffic cones in a parking lot containing pervious pavement

Development Requirements

Construction Sites

Construction Site Chapter 8 Ordinance: Construction Site Operators are required to have erosion and sediment controls to ensure compliance with Section 8 of the Unified Government's ordinance for construction activity disturbing greater to or equal to one acre. To learn more about erosion and sediment control, view or download the Erosion & Sediment Control Quick Guide(PDF, 3MB) for residential building lots and disturbances.

Operators are also required to control things such as silt, discarded building materials, concrete truck washout, chemicals, litter, and sanitary waste at the construction site that may cause adverse impacts in stormwater runoff.

Post-Construction

Post-Construction Ordinance: Post-Construction stormwater management in new development and redevelopment focuses on implementation of controls to maintain good quality conditions after an area has been developed.

Manual of Best Management Practices (BMP) for Stormwater Quality
This manual addresses the need to control the amount and quality of stormwater discharges from developed sites.

Development Standards

For land disturbance, oversize or overweight hauling, street closure, or to view the right-of-way procedures manual, see Public Works' Engineering.

Guidelines for Preparing Erosion Control Drawings for Land Development(PDF, 2MB)
View important information about erosion control requirements, performance goals, plans presentation standards, design checklist, and sample applications by project type.

Manual of Best Management Practices (BMP) for Stormwater Quality
This manual addresses the need to control the amount and quality of stormwater discharges from developed sites.

Erosion and Sediment Control Quick Guide for Residential Building Lots and Disturbances(PDF, 3MB)
This quick guide visually describes some best management practice do's and don'ts for erosion and sediment control at construction sites.

Stormwater Treatment Basins

What is a Stormwater Treatment Facility?

A Stormwater Treatment Facility (STF) is any stormwater infrastructure that was required as a stipulation of the development to treat stormwater runoff from the site. This stormwater runoff is created by taking ground that used to be pervious and allow stormwater to soak in, and turning it into impervious development (like parking lots, roofs, etc) that no longer allow that stormwater runoff to soak in to the ground.

Stormwater Treatment Facilities are often things like Rain Gardens, Bio-retention Basins, Hydrodynamic Separators, Sand/Oli Grit separators, turf swales, and other Green Infrastructure as outlined by the Unified Government's Design Criteria Requirements and/or the American Public Works Association's Best Management Practices Manual, as adopted by Unified Government Municipal Code.

Stormwater Treatment Facilities are part of the federal and state requirements related to the Clean Water Act of 1972 and the Unified Government's required participation in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program.

What is a Detention Basin?

A Detention Basin is any structure, either above-ground or underground, that retains stormwater runoff onsite and releases it slowly back into the storm sewer system. This helps reduce the chance for flooding downstream, that would have otherwise been caused by the development upstream.

What is the Certification Program?

To ensure that the Stormwater Treatment Facilities (STF) and Detention Basins are installed, being maintained, and are working as originally designed, the Unified Government has adopted a Certification Requirement for all STFs and Detention Basins, throughout Kansas City, Kansas.

It is required that every STF and Detention Basin is inspected, reviewed, and certified annually, by a Kansas Licensed Engineer. The certification documentation and inspection notes are required to provided to our office by November 1, annually.

This information is mailed out to the responsible parties as notification in early spring each year. If you have any questions or concerns about this program, or need any additional information in getting your STF or Detention Basin certified, please contact the Stormwater Division of Public Works by dialing 3-1-1 or visiting mywyco.wycokck.org.

Annual Certification Checklists

To ensure that the Stormwater Treatment Facilities (STF) and Detention Basins are installed, being maintained, and are working as originally designed, the Unified Government has adopted a Certification Requirement for all STFs and Detention Basins throughout Kansas City, Kansas.

It is required that every STF and Detention Basin is inspected, reviewed, and certified annually by a Kansas Licensed Engineer. The certification documentation and inspection notes are required to be provided to our office by November 1, annually, and should be summitted to StormwaterCert@wycokck.org.

Get a Head Start on Your Annual Certification

If you have any questions or concerns about this program or need any additional information in getting your STF or Detention Basin certified, please contact the Stormwater Division of Public Works by dialing 3-1-1 or visiting mywyco.wycokck.org.

Plans, Reports & Permits

Stormwater Management Program (SMP)

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas' (UG) municipal separate storm water system (MS4) Stormwater Management Program (SMP) has been developed in compliance with Kansas Water Pollution Control MS4 Permit and Authorization to Discharge under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (Kansas Permit No. M-MO25-SO01/Federal Permit No. KS0095656).

The SMP is intended to be detailed with respect to procedures and protocols for implementing the stormwater best management programs to ensure UG personnel in the various departments and divisions have ample guidance and instruction. The SMP will also allow the UG to allocate financial resources in an efficient and effective manner, consistent with the objectives of the NPDES permit issued with an effective date of February 1, 2024.

View the current and previous SMP Annual Reports below:

Municipal Separate Stormwater System (MS4) Reports

Polluted stormwater runoff is commonly transported through Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), and then often discharged, untreated, into local water bodies.

An MS4 is a conveyance or system of conveyances that is: owned by a state, city, town, village, or other public entity that discharges to waters of the United States, designed or used to collect or convey stormwater (e.g., storm drains, pipes, ditches), not a combined sewer, and not part of a sewage treatment plant, or publicly owned treatment works.

To prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped into MS4s, certain operators are required to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and develop Stormwater Management Programs (SMPs).

The SWMP describes the stormwater control practices that will be implemented consistent with permit requirements to minimize the discharge of pollutants from the sewer system.

The Unified Government has an NPDES permit and MS4 Program. To view or download the MS4 Program's Annual Reports, see them below:

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit

To prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped into Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), certain operators are required to obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits and develop Stormwater Management Programs (SMPs).

The SMP describes the stormwater control practices that will be implemented consistent with permit requirements to minimize the discharge of pollutants from the sewer system.

The Unified Government's MS4 has an SMP and NPDES permit. To view or download past and current NPDES permits, see below:

Related Information

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