🎥 Developer's stormwater retention project would also benefit city of Hays

A proposed stormwater retention project north of  I-70 and west of Vine Street will benefit the property owner and the city of Hays. — A proposed stormwater retention project north of I-70 and west of Vine Street will benefit the property owner and the city of Hays.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

A potential location for a private developer's stormwater retention project north of Interstate 70 in Hays would also benefit downstream areas in the city.

According to Jesse Rohr, Public Works director, the storage capacity would be about 170,000 cubic feet. The project would also help with water quality.

"It would serve to clean the water which is very important when we're talking about MS4 permit from KDHE (Kansas Department of Health and Environment)," Rohr said. "It's a requirement to provide such things and we consider it a best management practice."

Located west of the Hilton Garden Inn and Convention Center, the development property is owned by MAO Investments LLC (Mark Ottley, managing member). The property has a main drainage way, or stream, running through it.

Ottley has agreed to construct the mandatory drainage retention area for his property with extra capacity to benefit the city. The project would would provide stormwater retention and reductions to the rate of water flowing south.

"Water crosses under I-70, comes down through the Willow Street area, ends up in the Skyline Draw, comes into Van Doren pond, finds its way into Lincoln Draw and the Lincoln tunnel, and then out the south end of Hays," Rohr explained.

The area was previously identified by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a potential retention basin to help mitigate downstream flooding.

"When the opportunity came up, we felt we should take a look at it. Anything in the Lincoln draw area we feel is a benefit because that's one of the worst areas we have during potential flooding events."

The project has already been engineered and is ready to construct.

The drainage area can accommodate more capacity than required for the Hilton Garden Inn property and future Ottley development. The extra 170,000 cubic feet will be used by the city for extra stormwater retention and reduction of water flowing south into Lincoln Draw.

Two basins would contain certain soils and be filled with planting that would help filter the water, absorb the water, and help clean it before it moves on south.

Rohr and other city staff are recommending approval of the construction agreement with the city to pay Ottley $130,000 from Stormwater Reserve funds.

Future maintenance of the drainage area would be the responsibility of Ottley or his assignees.

The city is working on a similar project with another developer on the west side of Hays.

City commissioners will vote on the recommendation during their meeting Thursday.

The complete Sept. 10 agenda is available here.