Kansas City, Missouri v. Kansas City, Kansas

393 F. Supp. 1, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12711
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedApril 23, 1975
Docket74 CV 124-W-1
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 393 F. Supp. 1 (Kansas City, Missouri v. Kansas City, Kansas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kansas City, Missouri v. Kansas City, Kansas, 393 F. Supp. 1, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12711 (W.D. Mo. 1975).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JOHN W. OLIVER, District Judge.

I.

The present action pends on cross-motions for summary judgment filed by the parties under the terms of our order of May 16, 1974. As required by that order, the parties have filed a stipulation of fact, together with an agreement that the issues of liability presented in Counts I and II of plaintiff’s complaint may be considered separately from the issue of damages or other relief. See Rule 56(c) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. For the reasons stated below, we find and conclude that plaintiff’s motion should be granted.

II.

Count I

Stipulated Facts:

1. On February 16, 1917, the City of Rosedale, Kansas and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, entered into a contract (attached hereto as Appendix A) which thereafter, because of the incorporation of the City of Rosedale, Kansas into the City of Kansas City, Kansas, became an obligation of the defendant as fully as though defendant had been an original signator thereto.

2. A supplemental agreement dated the 13th day of October, 1955 (attached hereto as Appendix B) was duly entered into between plaintiff and defendant.

3. Plaintiff constructed the sewer known as the Turkey Creek Sewer to which defendant connected its own storm and sanitary sewers, with said connection being within the city limits of plaintiff. Defendant has continued and still continues to deposit its sewage into the Turkey Creek Sewer and said sewage of defendant flows through a sewage treatment system of the plaintiff and is eventually deposited into the Missouri River Channel. When the flow is in excess of two and one-half (2(4) times the normal dry weather flow, such flow by-passes the treatment facility of plaintiff and makes its way back across the State line to the Kansas River.

4. Subsequent to the execution of the contract, the Congress of the United States enacted legislation known as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and Amendments of 1972, Title 33, U.S.C.A. § 1251 et seq.

5. In compliance with the provisions of the Act, plaintiff has installed and maintained and will in the future install *3 and maintain sewage treatment facilities and sewage treatment works for the purposes of treating that sewage discharged by defendant into the Turkey Creek Sewer as aforesaid. Plaintiff has also, in compliance with the Act, instituted a sewer service charge which is assessed against plaintiff’s residents who use plaintiff’s sewage treatment facilities and sewage treatment works, as well as against other communities and the residents thereof who do contract with plaintiff to use such facilities. However, neither defendant nor any of the residents of defendant whose sewage is discharged into the Turkey Creek Sewer pay any service charge to plaintiff for the use of such facilities and defendant has refused to make or to permit any such payment to be made for the purpose of defraying the cost of treatment of such sewage.

6. Plaintiff has made demand upon defendant to perform and comply with the provisions of the contract and to comply with the Act applicable thereto which has become a part of the contract, and to make payment to plaintiff of the defendant’s share of the cost of operation and maintenance of such waste treatment service in direct proportion to the amount of sewage discharged by defendant into plaintiff’s waste treatment works. Plaintiff has further demanded that defendant protect and hold harmless plaintiff from any expense, loss, or cost arising from the cost of the treatment of defendant’s sewage. Defendant has refused to make any such payment and has refused in the future to make any such payment and has refused to protect plaintiff and hold plaintiff harmless from any such expense, loss, and cost arising from the treatment of defendant’s sewage, as aforesaid.

7. The “Minutes of the Kansas State Board of Health, 31 May 1974” recite in part:

KANSAS CITY TURKEY CREEK
INTERCEPTOR SEWER
Mr. William Fabian, special legal counsel for the city of Kansas City, Kansas appeared before the Board to explain delays in completion of sewerage system improvements in compliance with Board orders and approvals of projects by staff.
Mr. Fabian indicated that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency had considered the Turkey Creek Interceptor proposal for connection to the Kaw Point Treatment Plant and had rejected the proposal in favor of connection to the Kansas City, Missouri treatment plant. Kansas City, Missouri was now demanding cancellation of a long-standing contract, which has nothing to do with the Turkey Creek project, as part of the price for connection to the Missouri system in addition to back sewer service charges, future sewer service charges, and additionally the city of Kansas City sewage would discharge to a combined sewer in Missouri which would overflow in times of rainfall with the discharge of raw sewage back across the Kansas line to the Kansas River.
Mr. Gray reported that the Division of Environmental Health had approved plans and specifications for the Turkey Creek Interceptor, on or about 1 February 1973, for connection to the Kaw Point plant and had further approved connection to the Missouri system subject to several conditions which have not been met. A general discussion followed.
Action: Dr. Nelson moved that the Board adopt the following:
The Kansas Board of Health hereby directs the city of Kansas City, Kansas to immediately proceed in the construction of the Turkey Creek Interceptor with connection to the Kaw Point plant in accord with plans and specifications approved by the Department on 1 February 1973. The Board totally rejects the proposal mandated by the Federal Environmental Protection Agency to connect the Interceptor to the Kansas City, Missouri system when the Missouri system *4 connection is a combined sewer which will discharge raw sewage to the Kansas River and additionally cause economic and political inequities.”
The motion was seconded by Dr. Merkel and carried unanimously.

8. Plaintiff’s prayer for relief with regard to Count I seeks:

1. For a judgment declaring that defendant is required to hold plaintiff harmless of and from any expense, loss or cost arising from the treatment of sewage deposited by defendant in plaintiff’s sewage treatment system through said Turkey Creek Sewer, and that defendant be ordered and decreed to bear its proportionate share of said treatment costs as hereinbefore set forth; or
. 2. In the alternative, for a judgment declaring that the obligation of plaintiff to continue to receive such sewage into the Turkey Creek Sewer as aforesaid and as deposited by defendant be terminated and the contract determined to be at an end; or
3.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Conservation Chemical Co.
661 F. Supp. 1416 (W.D. Missouri, 1987)
Florida Power & Light Co. v. Westinghouse Electric Corp.
597 F. Supp. 1456 (E.D. Virginia, 1984)
Chrysler Corp. v. New Castle County
464 A.2d 75 (Superior Court of Delaware, 1983)
City of New Brunswick v. Borough of Milltown
467 A.2d 591 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1983)
Matter of Westinghouse Elec. Corp., Etc.
517 F. Supp. 440 (E.D. Virginia, 1981)
Standard Meat Co. v. Taco Kid of Springfield, Inc.
554 S.W.2d 592 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
393 F. Supp. 1, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12711, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kansas-city-missouri-v-kansas-city-kansas-mowd-1975.