Water and the Suburban Landscape

November 21, 2025

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Building the suburbs brought many changes to Johnson County’s landscape. Homes, shopping centers, and roads all required changes in the natural topography, vegetation, and streamways. Creeks were straightened or buried in concrete, lawns replaced native plants, and heavy machinery reworked hills and valleys. These changes had lasting effects on the county’s streamways. Read on to learn what happened to our streamways – and what you can do today to help protect them.

A faded, early color image of a suburban home with young tree and shrubs. The garage door is open. — Like thousands of others, this suburban home was built in Johnson County in 1949. Planted with it were shade trees and a grass lawn. What landscape did the residential neighborhood replace – a farm? A forest? A prairie? A wooded creek? View image at JoCoHistory.org.

Building the Suburbs

After World War II, federal programs like the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Veterans Administration made homeownership more affordable, fueling suburban growth across the nation. In Johnson County, this era marked a dramatic shift from a rural, agricultural landscape to bustling neighborhoods and commercial developments designed to accommodate a rapidly growing population.

In the 1940s and ’50s, developers utilized new machinery to extensively reshape the land. They flattened hills, filled valleys, and redirected creeks with concrete. Forests were cleared, plains were leveled, and construction surged; often encroaching upon wetlands, hills, and flood-prone areas. This rapid development changed the county’s water systems in ways we still experience today.

Creek channels straightened and concreted – reduced local flooding but pushed flood risk downstream into Kansas City, Missouri.
Streamways buried underground – destroyed natural habitats for aquatic and plant life.
Soil compacted and stripped of vegetation by bulldozers – caused erosion and increased sediment in creeks and storm sewers.
Lawns replaced native vegetation – shedding more runoff, carrying fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides into waterways.
Hot runoff from pavement and lawns – sometimes 10 degrees warmer than streams, harming aquatic life.
Faster, more forceful flows – scoured stream banks, deposited debris, and degraded habitats for fish and insects.

A black and white image shows a bare cinderblock foundation and short wooden walls among a foreground of empty, bare dirt. — Bare, bulldozed soil surrounded this new home start on 66th Street in Prairie Village. With hard rain or snow melts, soil and anything spilled on it could runoff into nearby creeks and storm drains. View image at JoCoHistory.org.

An aerial image shows bare dirt around a large construction site at a street corner. — *Likewise, bare soil around the Ranch Mark Shopping Center construction site in 1957 posed runoff risks for nearby streamways. View image at JoCoHistory.org.*

The Cost of a Perfect Lawn

The lush, green lawn – long a symbol of the American Dream – comes with hidden environmental costs.

Chemicals and care: Lawns often require fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and constant upkeep. Many grasses aren’t suited to Kansas’s climate, leading to soil erosion and vulnerability during droughts. HOAs often enforce lawn standards, further encouraging unsustainable practices.
Runoff and pollution: Lawns behave more like concrete than sponges, sending runoff with fertilizer and chemicals into creeks. This pollution fuels harmful algal blooms, depletes oxygen in water, and endangers aquatic life. Even grass clippings swept into storm drains add to the problem.
Water consumption: Sprinkler systems can use 12–16 gallons per minute. On hot summer days, WaterOne’s daily usage jumps by 150 million gallons – mostly to keep lawns green. Overwatering also increases the risk of chemicals leaching into groundwater. [image 4 and 5]

A black and white image of two young children and their parents and dark shaggy dog on the patio behind a ranch style home. In the foreground is a lush grass lawn. — In this 1957 photograph, the Stafford family enjoys their backyard. A lot of work went into the lawn seen there. Fun fact: the house you see is the All-Electric House, the largest artifact in the Museum today! View image at JoCoHistory.org.

Black and white photograph of a man standing in white shorts and an undershirt holding the handles to a manual rotary lawnmower. To the right, his little daughter, barely hip high, stands in a white dress with her own small lawnmower. — In this adorable photo, Norman Edmonds and his daughter Carol are on lawn duty at their Prairie Village home in 1949. Lawn care routines were a key part of suburban homeownership in the postwar era. View image at JoCoHistory.org.

A Healthier Water Future

The scale of suburban water challenges can feel overwhelming – but individuals can make a difference. Here are seven actions recommended by local water experts:

Plant native species – Deep-rooted plants prevent erosion, filter toxins, and withstand drought.
Create a rain garden – Johnson County’s Contain the Rain program offers 50% reimbursement for adding native trees, flowers, and shrubs.
Install a rain barrel – Collect runoff for reuse and get 50% reimbursement through Contain the Rain.
Rethink your lawn – Swap some water-hungry Kentucky Blue Grass for native plants.
Limit chemicals – Reduce fertilizers and pesticides, and try alternatives to sidewalk salt in winter.
Clear your gutters – Keep chemicals, lawn clippings, and debris out of storm drains.
Protect the soil – Maintain groundcover in gardens, fields, or construction sites to reduce erosion.

A modern color photograph showing a field of small white flowers with tall, bright orange milkweed flowers in the middleground. In the background, a wooded area and blue sky. — Native plant species have deeper roots, and typically drought tolerant, and often attract the area’s pollinators. Although this photo of Butterfly milkweed was taken in Kill Creek Park, even small patches of native gardens help prevent erosion and runoff, filter out toxins, and use less water. Courtesy JCPRD.

Color image from the Museum's exhibit showing a bright blue rain barrel in the foreground, with exhibit displays in the background. — *This rain barrel is on display in the Museum’s special exhibit. Rain barrels come in all types of styles, colors, and designs. Learn more about Contain the Rain.*

Learn More – Visit the Special Exhibit!

Want to learn more about what in the area? Visit the Johnson County Museum to explore the Museum’s special exhibit, “Ripples: Water, Community, and You.” You can plan your visit at JCPRD.com/Ripples!

Thank you to our exhibit sponsors!

We’re grateful for the generous support of Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, HDR, The Parks & Recreation Foundation of Johnson County, and TREKK Design Group. Their partnership helps us bring the vital story of water to life — for you, your family, and our entire community.