The City will help cover the costs of materials and contractor labor to install many stormwater treatment projects (limit of one project per household, per year). Residents may be reimbursed for the purchase of certain native plants using the cost-share program. Any native plants not currently listed below must receive approval prior to purchase to ensure reimbursement.

• • Approved Native Plants
  • Local Native Plant Sales
  • Native Landscape Care Calendar

Dry Well/Seepage Pits

A dry well, also called a seepage pit, is an underground storage facility that temporarily stores stormwater runoff. Pipes installed to drain water from roof gutters can directly connect to the dry well, which may be a gravel-filled pit, a prefabricated storage chamber made from plastic, concrete or a pipe segment. Runoff flows into the dry well and slowly drains or infiltrates into the surrounding soil. In the event of a heavy storm or frequent storms, an overflow pipe is used to ensure any additional runoff is safely directed downstream.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of a dry well or seepage pit, up to $500.

Floating Wetlands

Floating wetlands are platforms designed to support the growth of aquatic and terrestrial plants on the surface of a water body. Unlike traditional wetlands, where plants are rooted in the bottom soil, these systems allow plants to grow hydroponically, with their roots extending directly into the water column.

Overland Park will reimburse 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000.

Learn More

Food Forest

An area planted with a minimum of four food-producing, woody plants from the list below.

Overland Park will reimburse 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000.

 

Common Name	Species	Height	Partner Required to Produce Fruit
Dewberry	Rubus flagellaris	Vine	No
Riverbank Grape	Vitis riparia	Vine	No
Black Raspberry	Rubus occidentalis	5′	No
American Elderberry	Sambucus nigra canadensis	8′	Recommended
Hazelnut	Corylus Americana	10′	Yes
Chicksaw Plum	Prunus angustifolia	10′	Recommended
Golden Currant	Ribes odoratum	10′	No
Downy Serviceberry	Amelanchier arborea	20′	No
Wild Plum	Prunus americana	20′	Recommended
Wild Goose Plum	Prunus hortulana	20′	Recommended
Pawpaw	Asimina trilobal	25′	Yes
Choke Cherry	Prunus virginiana	25′	No
Munson Plum	Prunus munsoniana	25′	Recommended
Prairie Crabapple	Malus ioensis	25′	Recommended
Mexican Plum	Prunus mexicana	35′	Recommended
Downy Hawthorn	Crataegus mollis	40′	No
Persimmon	Diospyros virginiana	50′	Yes
Red Mulberry	Morus rubra	50′	Recommend
Kingnut Hickory	Carya laciniosa	65′	Recommend
Black Cherry	Prunus serotine	75′	No
Shagbark Hickory	Carya ovata	80′	Recommended
Pecan	Carya illinoensis	90′	Yes
Black Walnut	Juglans nigra	90′	Recommended

Infiltration Trench with Pretreatment

An infiltration trench is a gravel-filled trench that collects stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces, temporarily storing it in the stone’s void spaces and allowing it to slowly seep, or infiltrate, into the surrounding soil. The trench manages runoff, recharges groundwater and filters pollutants like sediment. 

Requirements:

• Water should sheet flow across a grassy area before entering the trench. Avoid concentrated flows that could increase erosion.
• The trench should be at least three feet deep and lined with permeable filter fabric.
• Rock should be clean, with a 1.5- to 2.5-inch diameter (no limestone or shale).
• A layer of permeable filter fabric approximately six inches below the surface to prevent sediment from settling down in the pore spaces.  
• Pea gravel or soil may be substituted for the top six inches above the filter fabric (optional).
• Observation well (optional).
• No perforated pipe.
• Grass clippings, leaves and sediment should be removed from the surface of the trench periodically for maintenance

Overland Park will reimburse 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000.

Native Tree Plantings

Native trees help reduce the amount of water runoff by taking up water from the soil through their roots. Compared to non-native trees, native trees are better adapted to our climate and require minimal maintenance, including water and fertilizer.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of native tree plantings, up to $150 per tree (limit of two). Trees must be included on this list to qualify for the city’s cost share program.

Eligible Trees

Ten Rules for Planting Trees

Native Buffers

Buffer strips, sometimes called filter strips or biofilters, are gently sloped areas of vegetation and landscaping installed between or at the edge of impervious surfaces and turf areas. Stormwater runoff from sidewalks, driveways and streets, and irrigation overspray from turf areas is captured and filtered through vegetated buffer strips instead of draining onto the street.

Buffer strips are most effective when planted with drought-tolerant vegetation that requires minimal watering. They should be installed over soils that have adequate infiltration rates.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of native buffers, up to $1,000.

More Information

Learn About Native Buffers

Permeable Pavement

Permeable pavement is a porous surface that catches precipitation, allowing it to slowly infiltrate into the soil.

Types of permeable pavement include:

• Porous asphalt
• Concrete grid pavers
• Plastic reinforcement grid
• Porous concrete
• Permeable interlocking concrete pavers
• Natural rock pavers

Permeable pavement should be used in areas that would otherwise be covered with an impermeable surface to be included in the cost share program.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of permeable pavement, up to $1000.

More Information

Pollinator Garden

Planting native landscaping reduces the amount of surface runoff that flows into our waterways. It helps rain infiltrate into the ground slowly to recharge streams, lakes, and wetlands at a more natural pace.

Stormwater runoff that flows through native landscapes is filtered, and contaminants are removed by plants and soil, results in cleaner, safer water.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of a rain or pollinator garden, up to $500.

Rain Barrels

Rain barrels may be up to 200-gallon barrels that capture water that would otherwise go down storm sewers. They can help divert and collect water from around your foundation to reduce foundation or flooding issues. The water collected may be used to water trees, flowers, gardens, etc.

Cover any openings with a screen to prevent mosquitoes from reproducing in the standing water. Rain barrels should also be drained and cleaned in the fall to keep water from freezing in the barrel.

Rain barrels can be incorporated into your landscaping by planting or screening around the barrel. They are subject to applicable laws, including, but not limited to, the city property maintenance codes.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of a rain barrel, up to $75 per barrel (limit of two).

Rain Garden

A rain garden is a shallow, landscaped basin designed to capture and absorb stormwater runoff. By using a mix of mulch and hardy woody and herbaceous plants, these gardens facilitate natural infiltration. To ensure success and minimize maintenance, plants should be selected for their ability to tolerate both wet and dry conditions, and the basin should fully drain within 48 hours of a rain event.

Requirements:

• Ponding depth should not exceed six inches.
• Should be placed 10+ feet away from building foundation.
• A minimum of 12 inches of soil depth should be amended with compost at a 1:1 native soil/compost ratio.
• Should have a designed overflow.
• The mulch layer should be three inches to control weeds.

Overland Park will reimburse 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000.

More Information

Riparian Plants

Vegetated strips of native plants along the edges of water bodies.  They protect water quality and habitat by filtering pollutants, stabilizing banks against erosion, and providing wildlife corridors and food sources.

Overland Park will reimburse 50 percent of the cost, up to $1,000.

 

Rain Cisterns

Rain cisterns are water collection systems installed above or below ground, typically collecting 200+ gallons. Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of a rain cistern, up to $500.

Swales

Swales are shallow, gently sloped open channels that slow down runoff, filter out stormwater pollutants and allow some infiltration to occur. They can be designed as vegetation, rock, or a combination and are used to convey stormwater runoff in place of pipes or ditches. As water flows along the swale, it is slowed down by the plants and the roughness of the landscaped surface. This allows sediments and pollutants to drop out and be processed by the plants and soil. Some stormwater soaks into the soil and is used by plants, and, depending on existing soil conditions, some stormwater infiltrates and provides groundwater recharge. Some water continues to flow downhill in the swale, but at a slower rate and sometimes at a lower volume than would flow through conventional storm pipes.

Overland Park will cover 50 percent of the cost of native swales, up to $1,000.

More Information

Learn About Native Swales

Terracing

Terracing can reduce soil loss by 50% or more by breaking one long slope into several shorter, flatter sections. 

Requirements:  Use to correct problems caused by erosion and provide evidence of the problem to be resolved.

Overland Park will reimburse 50 percent of the cost, up to $500.

What is stormwater?

Stormwater is the water that is generated when rain, snow melt, and surface drainage flows over land or impervious surfaces and does not percolate into the ground. Impervious surfaces are defined as hard surfaces where water is unable to soak or infiltrate into the ground, such as streets, parking lots, sidewalks, and rooftops.

Where does stormwater go?

As stormwater flows over land and impervious surfaces, it picks up sediment, contaminants, trash, nutrients, and other pollutants which then end up in the waterways of Overland Park untreated. Unmanaged stormwater adversely affects these waterways by causing water pollution, stream bank erosion, and flooding.

What can I do?

By capturing stormwater close to its source, slowing it down, and/or allowing it to be soaked up by plants and soil, pollutants and sediment are removed. This helps improve the water quality of our streams, creeks, and ponds as well as downstream in the Kansas and Missouri rivers.

Control Stormwater with Plants

Can cultivars be planted using the Cost Share Program?

Nativars are okay to use in the Cost Share Program, cultivars are not. Please refer to the native plant list on the OP website for acceptable plants. 

Overland Park strives to promote true native plants as research has shown they best serve the goals of promoting water quality, reducing the use of resources, and providing resources for native pollinators. 

Many native plants have been manipulated to change or enhance certain qualities such as color or size. These are called ‘cultivars’ or ‘nativars’ (cultivars of native plants). The key to knowing if you have a cultivar or nativar is to look for the scientific name on the plant tag. True natives will just be the two word scientific name (Purple Coneflower is Echinacea purpurea).  Cultivars/nativars will have a common name in single quotations or an “X” indicating what was crossed. For example, a common nativar of coneflower is Echinacea purpurea ‘Bright Star’. A cultivar may be written Echinacea ‘Daydream’ or Echinacea purpurea x laevigata. Both of these indicate a cross between two species – the first leaves off the species information, the second tells you which species were crossed. 

You can learn more about the differences in this webinar from the Missouri Prairie Foundation.

Please reach out for assistance. 

Julie Roberts / [email protected]
Cloey Adrian / [email protected]