MWMO Awards Grant to St. Boniface Church

Minneapolis Stormwater Project will Help Protect the Mississippi River

MAY 17, 2024 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) has awarded a $260,000 grant to St. Boniface Church to rehabilitate their northeast Minneapolis property with a series of stormwater and habitat improvements.

The project will replace existing landscaping with eight rain gardens designed to infiltrate 80 percent of the site’s stormwater runoff. It will also add 6,400 square feet of native habitat, including 55 new trees to help support pollinators and wildlife. In addition to construction and planting, the MWMO grant will fund two years of maintenance work to ensure the establishment of the new vegetation.

The St. Boniface site is also home to the Northeast Farmers Market, which hosts up to 2,000 people weekly during the spring, summer and fall months.

“We’re excited to help build this green infrastructure in a place that welcomes thousands of visitors each week. In addition to protecting the Mississippi River and local ecosystems, it’s an opportunity to demonstrate good stewardship to the larger community,” said MWMO Executive Director Kevin Reich.

The project will result in an estimated reduction of 324 pounds per year of total suspended solids (TSS) and 1.78 pounds per year of total phosphorus (TP), which currently drain directly to the Mississippi River.

Final design work for the project is expected to begin immediately, with construction anticipated to finish later this year.

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Media Contact

Nick Busse, Communications Principal
Mississippi Watershed Management Organization
Direct: 612-746-4974
nbusse@mwmo.org

About the MWMO

The MWMO is a public organization that partners to protect and improve water and habitat in our urban watershed. We invest in people and infrastructure to support clean water, and provide knowledge, scientific data and expertise to help manage our vital water resources. mwmo.org