Rainwater Harvesting Demonstration Project

CHS Field, Saint Paul, Minnesota

BUDGET

  • $300,000

SCHEDULE

  • Completed summer 2015
Clean Water Fund Logo

SUMMARY

The Metropolitan Council, Capitol Region Watershed District, and City of Saint Paul are cooperating on a rainwater harvesting and reuse system in downtown Saint Paul. Rainwater from a portion of the northern half of the roof at the Metro Transit Green Line Operations and Maintenance Facility (OMF) is captured using a modified version of the existing OMF rainwater collection system. The existing collection system conveys rainwater to CHS Field, home of the Saint Paul Saints, for ballfield irrigation and toilet flushing. In addition to reducing potable water use at the stadium, this project diverts hundreds of thousands of gallons of water annually that would otherwise drain to the Mississippi River.

DELIVERABLES

The Council delivered two separate and related pieces of this project:

  • Cooperation with the Capitol Region Watershed District and the City of Saint Paul for the design and construction of the stadium rainwater harvesting system
  • Redesign of the OMF rainwater piping to convey rainwater from the northern half of the OMF roof to the CHS Field

OUTCOMES

  • Potable water use at the stadium is reduced by approximately 450,000 gallons per year
  • Supported the adoption of rainwater harvesting components to the plumbing code
  • Hundreds of thousands of CHS Field visitors can learn about rainwater harvesting
  • Stormwater discharge to the Mississippi River is reduced