Content Type: External News

A first-of-its-kind kayak-sharing service along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis could be open for business this month, allowing visitors to dip their paddles in one of the state's most overlooked national park areas.

Polluted stormwater running off of Twin Cities buildings and streets normally isn't cleaned up very much — if at all — before it enters a series of pipes that flow into the Mississippi River.

Celebrate the completion of a high-tech new facility that will protect the Mississippi River from polluted runoff on Thursday, July 21 beginning at 5:30 p.m. in St. Anthony.

In addition to revitalized green space and the addition of 16 new sculptures, the renovation will also include sustainability improvements, as Kevin Reich of the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization noted. His group’s $1.5 million investment will ensure that 5 million gallons of water—which would otherwise flow untreated into the river—will be captured and reused each year, instead of going untreated into the river.

The Metropolitan Council in June approved six grants to improve surface water quality in several communities across the metro area.

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization helped fund all the onsite stormwater management.

The Park Board is funding the work through $8.5 million of state bonding funds and $1.5 million from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization for stormwater management work.

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) has for many years tracked local water quality data for the Mississippi and surrounding watershed in the Minneapolis area.

Aaron Dysart takes ice sculpturing to a whole new level with Watershed. Using data collected from the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization, Dysart has crafted a 3-D scale model replica of […]