Mize Lake is a seven-acre manmade impoundment that receives stormwater runoff as part of the City of Lenexa’s “Rain to Recreation” program. It is located in the Cedar Creek watershed and helps to treat stormwater runoff to remove pollutants that might otherwise enter tributaries to Cedar Creek.

Water that runs off of roadways and housing developments surrounding the lake first enters settling ponds, which remove any sediment that is suspended in the water. Next the water flows over low weir into a constructed wetland. As the water winds its way slowly through the wetland, plants remove nutrients and other pollutants. The water eventually flows through a stone weir into the lake.

Although constructed wetlands are commonly used to treat water in areas with mild climates, they are still being tested in Kansas. Researchers at the University of Kansas and Kansas State University have found that so far the constructed wetlands at Mize Lake are doing the job, preventing sediments from filling the lake and removing nutrients that could create nuisance algal blooms. City of Lenexa fact sheet