Shawnee may need $140 million in next decade to repair or replace aging stormwater pipelines

Shawnee’s aging stormwater infrastructure is becoming a widespread problem, with the city needing as much as $140 million over the next 10 years to repair or replace drainage pipes that are on the brink of failure.

Public works staff demonstrated this need in a presentation to the Shawnee council in early April. Staff have doubled efforts in the past two years to video inspect pipeline and get a full grasp on the scope of the city’s pipeline network. What they’ve found: More than 220 pipes are expected to fail in the next three to five years, costing anywhere between $11.2 and $14 million.