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Brush Creek has a reputation for being dirty and poorly maintained. Kansas City is working to clean it

By Steve Kraske,
Zach Wilson
Published December 9, 2024 at 3:16 PM CST
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Several shopping carts lay in the mud of Brush Creek as the water from the creek is being drained by Kansas City.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR
Several shopping carts lay in the mud as city workers drain water from Brush Creek.

Kansas City is draining Brush Creek in order to clean the famously dirty waterway that runs through a large portion of the city. Cars and shopping carts are among the items that workers have found.

Kansas City's Brush Creek is well known for its unpleasant odor and its foggy, brown waters. The city is currently undergoing a project to drain and clean the creek, and workers have already found some surprising things.

A post on City Manager Brian Platt's X page revealed that workers had found two cars. Shopping carts are also abundant — but the amount of silt and dirt is perhaps even more shocking.

Andy Shively, the deputy director of water services in Kansas City, told KCUR's Brandon Azim that there is enough silt to "fill Arrowhead Stadium and be 150 feet tall."

  • Brandon Azim, KCUR solutions reporter
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Up To Date PodcastKansas City Missouri (KCMO)Brush Creekenvironment
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Steve Kraske
When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
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Zach Wilson
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
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