The Metropolitan Council has awarded grants for eight stormwater management projects in the seven-county metro area. The grants range from $37,500 to $159,000 and will support projects to improve water quality and reuse stormwater for irrigation.
“These grants help to achieve two important regional goals: improving water quality and protecting water supply,” said Judy Sventek, Water Resources manager at the Council. “Communities are partnering with watershed districts on innovative projects that can be duplicated in other places.”
The Council allocated a total of $1,000,000 from its general fund for the 2017 grant program.
Funded proposals
City of Fridley Civic Center Complex - $159,000. The City will construct a three-cell, lined stormwater pond with iron-enhanced pretreatment on the contaminated site of the old Columbia Heights Ice Arena to allow construction of a new city hall and public safety building. Rice Creek Watershed District.
Minneapolis East Side Storage and Maintenance Facility - $150,000. The City of Minneapolis is reconstructing and expanding its East Side Public Works Storage and Maintenance Facility in Northeast Minneapolis. The grant will help fund sustainable amenities at the site including stormwater capture systems. Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
Seidl’s Lake Water Quality Improvement Project - $150,000. The City of South St. Paul plans to install an underground infiltration system in a city park using a combination of pretreatment devices, tree trenches, and underground pipe galleries below park greenspace to improve the water quality of Seidl’s Lake. The project will provide water quality treatment of a currently untreated 27.3-acre urban and dense residential neighborhood. Lower Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.
Stormwater Reuse for Irrigation at New Brighton’s Lions Park - $150,000. The City will construct an irrigation system from an existing 14-acre stormwater pond to irrigate a planned playground, softball field, and lacrosse/soccer field on City property. Rice Creek Watershed District.
Kindergarten Center Educational Filtration Basin - $37,500. The project in Chaska will retrofit an untreated parking lot by constructing a stormwater filtration basin in an existing curbed island in the lot and use trench grates to route stormwater to the basin. The project will reduce nutrient and sediment loading to Lake Grace, educate students about stormwater issues, and demonstrate feasibility of this practice for challenging sites. Carver County Watershed Management Organization.
Crystal Becker Park Infiltration Project - $150,000. The City of Crystal will construct a 43,000-square-foot (1 million gallon) infiltration gallery beneath a recreation area. The gallery will infiltrate .5 inches of runoff from a 147-acre watershed that includes most untreated residential and commercial land uses. Goal of project is to improve water quality of Upper Twin Lake, which is impaired for excessive nutrients. Shingle Creek Watershed Management Organization..
Shoreview Rice Creek Fields Stormwater Reuse - $150,000. Shoreview will retrofit an irrigation system to use water from a nearby stormwater pond to water four fast-pitch softball fields, saving an estimated six million gallons of potable groundwater annually. Rice Creek Watershed District.
Biochar-enhanced Filter for Bacteria and Dissolved Pollutants - $53,507. This project will retrofit an existing weir structure with two filters (one iron-enhanced sand and biochar, and one spent lime and biochar) on Springbrook Creek in Fridley, which is impaired for aquatic life and aquatic recreation. Coon Creek Watershed District.
The Council received 11 applications requesting a total of more than $1.7 million.