Spillway design for Lake Lenexa’s ‘Rain-to-Recreation’ water cycle

Spillway feature Abstract interpretation of water flow
Centre dial water spout The ‘origin’ of water which rises through evaporation, then falls from the sky.
Ogee Rolling cloud forms which accumulate the water before release.
Upper dial (random spinning) Chaos of storm events, spin of local tornados
Upper steps Rolling hills and land forms. When the water exceeds the capacity of the stream(s) it flows over the hills and not just in the streams.
Downstream middle basin wall and water spout Manmade dam which stretches from hillside to hillside. Concrete spillway in the centre which controls the release of water.
Lower steps with triangle pattern The built environment and the typical structural triangular pattern trusses within. Upstream dams and spillways protect the built environment by using their water reservoirs (lakes) to retain storm water. When the water from a storm is unusually heavy, the water will rush through and over the built environment.
Cup and its overflow Man’s harvesting of water. The overflow symbolises that we have more than we need.
Lower columns Man’s necessary stewardship of nature by filtering contaminants from water before sending it back into nature.
Lower Stilling Basin Although much of the water evaporates during all parts of the cycle, the eventual path of a portion of the water goes to the ocean before some evaporates into clouds, which completes the cycle of water.