MWMO Towerside District Storm Water System

September 01, 2021 by towersideadmin

The District Stormwater System at Towerside, captures, treats, and reuses stormwater runoff draining from a roughly two-block area next to the Prospect Park light rail station, near the University of Minnesota. In addition to keeping pollutants out of the nearby Mississippi River, the system creates opportunities for reusing captured stormwater for purposes like irrigation and industrial use.

A first-of-its-kind project, the system is the result of a voluntary agreement between four private developers (owning adjacent properties) to manage stormwater runoff jointly rather than separately. This shared “district” approach to stormwater management will save the property owners money while creating more effective, cost-efficient and eco-friendly stormwater treatments. Beneath the surface, the main storage tank can hold up to 206, 575 gallons of treated runoff. Above the surface is a beautiful, expansive and serene garden with both hard- and soft-landscaping, walking paths and benches.

The stormwater system is the first of a more extensive “district system” envisioned throughout Towerside. The stormwater system is also a component of the larger redevelopment of Fourth Street, which is known as “Green Fourth.”

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) works to protect and improve water quality, habitat and natural resources in an urban watershed that drains directly into the Mississippi River. A joint-powers local government unit and one of approximately three dozen watershed organizations in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

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