Unified Government of Wyandotte County to spend $656,000 on John Garland Park gas system

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, will spend approximately $656,000 to repair the landfill gas collection system at John Garland Park. The project involves replacing, repairing, and adding pipes to the existing infrastructure. Residents will cover the cost through their monthly user fees for trash and recycling collection.

Officials state that the current system has degraded over time, allowing gas to migrate underground beyond its intended boundaries. Dave Reno, a community engagement officer for the UG's Public Works Department, compared the movement of the gas to water finding the path of least resistance. He noted that without containment, the gas could migrate into nearby basements, businesses, or underneath streets.

Recent monitoring revealed that methane levels at the park exceeded a threshold set by officials. When this limit is met, the Unified Government is required to take corrective action. A spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment explained that the system uses suction to pull gas to a central location for treatment, aiming to reduce risk to people near the site.

John Garland Park is classified as a brownfield site by the Environmental Protection Agency. The location formerly operated as the Kansas City Sanitary Landfill from 1972 to 1974. During that two-year period, municipal solid waste, including industrial and commercial materials, was deposited at the site. Reno described the underground contents as including couches, papers, and various other debris.

The landfill was closed and capped in the 1970s. By the 1980s, the area had been redeveloped into a public park. Reno stated that the park was constructed before pertinent environmental laws were enacted. The site was considered a model project because the EPA, the Unified Government, and the KDHE collaborated on its development at a time when building parks over landfills was a novel concept.

In 1987 and 1989, state and federal investigators identified the need for additional monitoring and site controls. Environmental concerns led to the park's closure in the 1990s. It reopened in the 2000s after the installation of the gas collection system and monitors. The UG continues to manage the site with oversight from the EPA and KDHE, conducting monthly monitoring and maintaining landfill-gas controls.

WD Young, a lifelong resident of Kansas City, Kansas, lives one block from the park. He recalled the days when the site was an open hole where people threw debris, thinking it would disappear if buried deep enough. Young said his initial reaction to the park's construction was questioning why they were doing it. He sometimes notices an odor and wonders what is causing it.

Reno said the current project demonstrates that the UG takes the monitoring of the gas collection system seriously. The primary goal is to control methane migration underground to prevent it from becoming concentrated to a flammable level. He encouraged residents to use the park, noting that it simply needs work on the piping system to maintain safety.

The UG expects to monitor the landfill gas for several more decades as the waste continues to decompose. Construction on the repair project is expected to begin soon. The park is scheduled to reopen in the spring of 2027.