Construction has begun on a pilot project that will install a series of stormwater-absorbing tree trenches along residential streets in Hoyer Heights (part of Minneapolis’ Waite Park Neighborhood). These will be among the first stormwater best management practices (BMPs) in the city to capture and treat runoff from the street using curb cuts.

Hoyer Heights was identified as an area that would benefit from flood mitigation measures. It is also located in a subwatershed that receives very little water quality treatment prior to discharging into the Mississippi River. The city is reconstructing the area's streets and replacing its sanitary sewer lines; several of the streets are unusually wide, which provided an ideal opportunity to expand the boulevards for stormwater treatment and traffic calming.

We posted a handful of photos online and will post more details on our website soon. The project is part of the Northeast Stormwater Management Initiative, and is funded in part by a grant from the Minnesota Clean Water Fund (via the Board of Soil and Water Resources).

A newly installed MWMO Stewardship Fund project in Minneapolis uses an innovative material in stormwater management: tire-derived aggregate (TDA). TDA has been used for years within the road construction industry, but has seen limited use in stormwater applications.

Earlier this month, an infiltration basin filled with TDA was installed beneath the parking lot at FamilyWise Services. The voids between the tire pieces have a high capacity for holding stormwater runoff, allowing for improved retention and infiltration compared to other materials. The building's roof drains and parking lot runoff are redirected into the basin and allowed to infiltrate. 

The MWMO has awarded three separate Stewardship Fund Grants to help fund stormwater improvements at FamilyWise. Learn more on our project page.

In June, landscapers planted the new stormwater planters on 8th Street in Downtown Minneapolis. These recessed planter boxes will soak up stormwater runoff directly from the street, infiltrating it into the ground and keeping pollutants out of stormdrains and away from the nearby Mississippi River.⠀

The trees and sedges planted in these basins have been selected for their resilience, as they will be soaking up runoff filled with pollutants like chloride (salt), which can create a challenging environment for vegetation to grow and thrive. The MWMO will be monitoring the performance of these basins as they capture and treat downtown runoff.

Learn more on our project page and see more photos on Flickr.

The MWMO is helping install stormwater infiltration features and a pollinator lawn at the Elliot Park Skate Plaza, which is currently being updated by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) and its partners.

The updated skate plaza will be sloped such that rainwater falling on the hard surfaces will flow to a pair of bioinfiltration basins on the northwest side of the park and a permeable paver patio on the northeast side. Pre-treatment permeable pavers will be swaled with a gradual low point prior to the patio to capture the first flush of fine debris.

The project builds on knowledge and partnerships forged in a similar skate park project completed in North Minneapolis last year. You can read more on our website.

An overgrown, eroding traffic diverter in the Como Neighborhood of Minneapolis has been transformed into a one-of-a-kind raingarden thanks to the efforts of a diverse group of partners. The MWMO awarded an Action Grant for the Southeast Como Improvement Association (SECIA) to help reconstruct the diverter.

The City of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board modified the existing infrastructure to accommodate the new design. A new catch basin and pipes allow water to drain into the diverter from the street. Metro Blooms installed and planted the raingarden. You can see photos of the transformation on Flickr, courtesy of Metro Blooms.

With our normal summer outreach programming disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, MWMO staff have been producing a series of videos and blog posts highlighting eco-friendly yard care practices. With some help from former Mississippi River Green Team members and our partners, we show you everything from how to maintain native plants to how to plant a gravel-bed tree nursery.

What videos would you like to see from us in the future? Do you have any questions about earth-friendly landscaping, such as using native plants and using rain as a resource? Drop us a note on social media or email us at contacts@mwmo.org.

Videos

• Summer Raingarden Maintenance with Akia and Boyee
• Lawn Care Tips for Greener Lawns and Cleaner Water
• How to Install and Use a Rainbarrel
• Spring Maintenance for Native Plant Landscapes
• Gravel-Bed Tree Nursery Planting with Friends of the Mississippi River

Blog Posts

• Healthy Lawns for Healthy Water
• Using Rainbarrels for Watering Your Yard and Garden
• Spring Maintenance for Native Plants

In May, a group of Master Water Stewards and volunteers (pictured) hand-pulled weeds and performed maintenance on native plantings in the medians on Northeast Main Street in Minneapolis. Master Water Stewards Linnea Goderstad and Melissa Burton led a project to plant the medians in 2017; the project resulted in a quarter-mile of swales planted with native perennials.

We are extremely grateful to those who help keep our communities' stormwater best management practices and habitat restoration sites in good working order!

The popular summer recreation program Paddle Share is back this summer, with COVID-19 protocols in place to ensure a safe paddling experience. The MWMO is once again pleased to host a Paddle Share rental kiosk at our Stormwater Park and Learning Center.

Paddle Share is a self-serve kayak program that lets participants rent a boat for several hours and paddle to a destination downriver. (It's like bike-sharing, but with boats!) Its fifth season in operation brings new routes and a new schedule to the Twin Cities community.

Learn more and book your paddling experience online at paddleshare.org.

The MWMO continues to work to ensure the health and safety of our employees, partners and the public during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Our building remains closed to the public and our staff members are working from home whenever possible. Board meetings and other public events are being held online via web-conferencing.

We have set up a web page with information on our full COVID-19 response and policies, and will update it as the situation evolves. Read more…