City of Duluth Sustainability Office secures stormwater resiliency implementation grants

By Kelli Latuska

The City of Duluth was recently awarded two Stormwater Resiliency Implementation Grants from the Minnesota Pollution Control agency to improve the City’s stormwater infrastructure and management approaches.

The two grants—one for $2.2 million and another for $7 million—will be used to fund improvements to the stormwater management system in two increasingly storm-stressed, key areas.

Mindy Granley, Duluth’s Sustainability Officer, committed to making upgrades to the stormwater management system as a part of the Sustainability Office’s Climate Action Workplan.

“Helping reduce flooding through stormwater projects is a critical way Duluth can prepare for climate change,” said Granley. “These projects address two high-priority items from our Stormwater Resiliency Plan. Making these investments now with the help of State funding will help save the City from infrastructure damages in the future.”

Senior Engineer Tom Johnson and Utility Programs Coordinator Ryan Granlund, along with Natural Resources Coordinator Kate Kubiak, worked to identify two key areas that were impacted by localized flooding in recent years and, together, have designed both gray and green infrastructure upgrades to the Lincoln Park and Brewery Creek watersheds.

“Some of the infrastructure that will be improved upon through these grants is as old as the system itself, dating back to the late 1800s,” said Johnson. “Without this funding, our team would not be able to concentrate on improving the resiliency of the storm sewer system and providing protection to our water resources. We’re really thankful to the MPCA for awarding the City these grants.”

The Lincoln Park neighborhood improvements include storm sewer upgrades, like catch basins and pipes, and drainage improvements in the 32nd Avenue W Creek watershed. The $2.2 million awarded will reduce localized flooding and vulnerability in and around the Lincoln Park neighborhood.  

The Palm Street/Brewery Creek system improvements include a new stormwater management system and new pond that will provide much-needed stormwater rate control for Brewery Creek, alleviating stress on the downstream tunnel network. The $5 million awarded for this project will help reduce flooding in Central Hillside.

Work to implement these improvements to the stormwater management system will begin sometime in summer of 2025. Work on these projects are anticipated to continue through the end of summer of 2027.

The Office of Sustainability’s Climate Action Workplan can be viewed on the office’s website: https://duluthmn.gov/sustain/city-projects-commitments/.