MASTER PLAN OVERVIEW

North Lawrence Drainage Study

Origin of Plan

Engineering firm HNTB completed the North Lawrence Drainage Study in 2006.

Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission proposed this study to address repeated flooding concerns from residents of the North Lawrence area. Study efforts included identifying areas with flooding problems, analyzing major elements of the storm drainage system regarding long-term land use, and recommending needed improvements to correct or prevent systems from flooding. The plan did this to influence proposed developments and long-range plans.

Public involvement with the North Lawrence Drainage Study established a useful dialogue between stakeholders, businesses, residents in the area and the study team. The City conducted a series of outreach efforts to catalog and assess the public’s concerns. Members of the project team summarized study activities and public input to the Lawrence Planning Commission. Key themes included the need to address the problem in terms of infrastructure needs and costs, and to balance future development with current land use patterns.

The consultant used the information gathered to create the ultimate build-out map. However, the map should not dictate specific policies regarding land use in the North Lawrence Drainage Area. In addition, inferences that could be made in reviewing the study do not necessarily reflect policy or requirements. For instance, lot splits require a hydraulic study to determine impacts. Because of the extensive hydraulic studies detailed in this report, it would not be necessary for developers to conduct individual studies; provided there is general compliance with the recommendations of this study (i.e. maintaining adequate stormwater conveyance within the floodplain).

Expected outcomes from the plan

The consultant determined the ultimate land use condition of the study area.  This will help to accomplish the goals of the North Lawrence Drainage Study. Future land uses within the watershed helped determine where to focus the stormwater system improvements and provide better insight into heading off potential development problems. The project team conferred with the Public Works Department, the Planning Office, and the Utilities Department of Lawrence. The consultant gathered information regarding current zoning,

potential developments and long-range plans and produced an ultimate watershed land use guide.

Funding

Although the North Lawrence Drainage Study provided project cost estimates, it did not provide details specific to funding. 

Status Update

The North Lawrence Drainage Study split projects into system areas.  Proposed improvement for System 6 included a stormwater pump station near the intersection of Maple and 6^th streets. Completion of the Maple Street Pump Station occurred in 2016. Besides the pump station construction, the City Stormwater Crew completed system improvement along Perry Street from 4^th to 6^th Streets.

Future

To complete a systematic analysis of the existing storm sewer network, video inspection of the entire system is underway. A standardized condition assessment of each individual pipe segment occurs with each video inspection. This will aid in prioritizing problem areas. Verification of asset information includes material type, size and location. Field staff has deployed both of the city’s video trucks to optimize the time to needed to assess the entire system. Projected completion is anticipated within the next four years. The asset management software Lucity will also help determine patterns of repeated maintenance areas within a watershed, guiding future programmatic asset management.

Utilization of a new storm water rate model study will also aid in identifying revenue vs operational and maintenance expenditures.