Lake Superior Basin Update
Bayfront Stormwater (Rain) Garden in Duluth
By Jill Jacoby, Sweetwater Alliance
Duluth, Minnesota is a city on a hill. At
the bottom of the hill is the largest
freshwater lake in the world, Lake
Superior. When the snow melts, or the
rains come, stormwater flows down the
hill and brings with it a host of
pollutants including road salt, bacteria,
heavy metals and sediment.
Sweetwater Alliance has been working
on a project that brings together ecological restoration, art, and
water education. The project is called the Bayfront Stormwater
Garden, and its goal is to educate the public about the value of
wetlands in holding and cleansing stormwater.
In 1995 I had the opportunity to participate in a project that
brought an international group of artists and scientists together
in Chengdu, China. From these collaborations came the development
of a seven-acre park that cleanses polluted water from the
Fu Nan River. The City of Chengdu had made the restoration of
the Fu Nan River a priority and understood an ecologically
designed park that improved water quality and educated the
public worked hand-in-hand with their restoration goals.
In spite of the fact that we have the largest freshwater lake in the
world at our doorstep, residents and tourists alike need to be
educated about water quality concerns. In 1996 I attended a
public meeting in Duluth that focused on stormwater and a
proposed stormwater utility fee. I was surprised to hear citizens
arguing against this fee; it was then that I thought about
replicating Chengdu’s Living Water Garden in Duluth. The project
would provide a visible way to teach residents about the
problems of stormwater and the values and functions of
wetlands in stormwater management. The land I had in mind
was a vacant lot and Brownfield on Duluth’s waterfront, between
downtown and Canal Park. Today the land sits next to the Great
Lakes Aquarium and along side the Bayfront Festival Park – in the
heart of our tourist district.
However, being waterfront property, there are other land and
water uses being considered for the area. The property is owned
by the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA), and is
mandated by Minnesota State statute, that the land be used for
economic development. The definition of economic development
varies depending on whom you talk with! The City Attorney’s
office has taken a narrow view, whereas some City Councilors
(who make up the DEDA Commission) have taken a broader view.
Sweetwater Alliance has partnered with Patricia Johanson
(www.patriciajohanson.com) and Barr Engineering to create the
design for the project. Patricia has designed many fantastic
projects including Fair Park Lagoon in Dallas and the San
Francisco Endangered Garden. Her works restore habitat for flora,
fauna, and humans. Our design process has included an all day
design charette with artists and environmentalists as well as
discussions with many interested groups and individuals.We are
creating two designs, one for a half-acre that has been approved
by the Duluth City Council, and one for a two-acre parcel – both at
the same location on the Bayfront (see map).
This fall we will bring the designs to the Duluth City Council and
ask them to provide more land for the project and to approve the
design. The two-acre site is ideal, providing a way to draw
stormwater directly from a stormwater pipe, as well as a way to
return clean water back to the St. Louis River. When we return to
the Council Chambers, it will be nearly ten years since I first had
the idea to create a Stormwater Garden in Duluth. Provided the
Council approves the project, we will then begin fundraising for
the construction of the project.
To learn more please visit www.sweetwateralliance.org.
To participate in the City Council meeting please
e-mail info@sweetwateralliance.org.
Disclaimer:
The interpretations and conclusions presented in this newsletter represent the opinions of the individual authors. They in no way represent the views of the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, the C.S. Mott Foundation, subscribers, donors, or any organization mentioned in this publication.
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