When it rains in the small, rural town of Paxico — which sits about 30 miles west of Topeka, just off Interstate 70 — pools of water remain long after each storm has passed. “We have terrible stormwater runoff,” said resident Deanna Pierson. “We’re in a flood zone.” Pierson, with help from an international organization that works with communities to address climate-related issues, published a survey late last year in The Wabaunsee County Signal-Enterprise to collect responses from area residents about local problems they thought needed to be addressed…. But until recently, efforts to reduce such risk were stagnant — that is until Pierson connected with Thriving Earth Exchange, a program that aims to help communities of all sizes tackle local issues related to natural hazards and resources. And Paxico just so happens to be the smallest community with which the earth exchange has ever worked. The Thriving Earth Exchange partnership is one of two different projects Paxico is undertaking to address water-related issues in the northeast Kansas town of about 280 people. The other is an effort to connect the town to a rural water district in order to rid it of well water contaminated with nitrates, which recently led local officials to issue a drinking-water advisory for infants, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Source: CJonline.com.
