City of Mission Hills, Kansas, and the Army Corps of Engineers
2020-2021
Working under a joint venture-held MATOC with the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, WRS is providing engineering design for construction and bid documents to address active bank erosion and resulting instability along the left descending bank of Brush Creek between State Line Road and Ward Parkway. Shawnee Mission Parkway — a major thoroughfare carrying heavy traffic volumes daily — parallels Brush Creek at the top of bank along the project reach and is being threatened by the erosion.
The proposed design — developed by WRS at a concept lever under previous subcontract — includes using longitudinal peaked stone toe protection and rock vanes to protect the left bank against erosion. To ensure long-term stability, WRS developed a 2-D model to analyze the flow patterns and erosive forces along the reach and a 1-D hydraulic model for the required FEMA no-rise certification. In addition to the streambank stability improvements, the project team developed stream-management and training solutions to improve natural sediment transport through the State Line Road bridge.
City of Kansas City, Missouri
2017-2020
A dozen residents of this north Kansas City Somerbrook subdivision contacted the city’s water services department in summer 2018, complaining that the yard erosion along an unnamed tributary to Fishing River had advanced so far that house foundation slabs were exposed and backyard fences and a retaining wall were in jeopardy of collapsing into the creek.
City of Kansas City, Missouri
2017-2019
Water Resources Solutions surveyed, designed, and provided construction oversight for streambank rehabilitation of this 2,100-foot long project.
The site was surveyed in July 2016 and the design was completed in December 2016.
Based on information from site observations, detailed topographic surveys, and geomorphic assessment, WRS recommended installing bendway weirs to reduce streambank erosion. Instead of using longitudinal peaked stone-toe protection (LPSTP) this project design utilized root wads and trees for the continuous toe protection and a constructed floodplain bench.
Bendway weirs reduce streambank erosion by redirecting flows and reducing stress in the near bank region. Our engineers used the weirs to reduce the stream’s width-to-depth ratio and move the thalweg from the near bank region and induce deposition along the previously eroding streambank toe. The root wads and tree tops provide continuous toe protection, while the bench provides additional channel capacity.
Construction began in October 2017 and was completed in November 2017. Following project completion, the slope and floodplain bench were seeded with sycamore seed and a cover crop of oats and mulched with native prairie hay. In early April 2018, the banks and buffer were planted with a mixture of native tree and shrub species along with a native grass filter strip.
The goal of this project was to reduce streambank erosion and improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat. The use of bendway weirs worked with the stream’s natural tendencies to move the stream toward a more naturally stable condition.