Improving our water quality
03/01/2011
The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition received a grant to address water quality issues through the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization Stewardship Fund Program. The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition will use the grant as part of an overall project to educate citizens and business owners about how to decrease negative impacts to the Mississippi River, assist business and property owners to make physical improvements to reduce harmful impacts to water quality, and build capacity among local contractors and citizens to provide services to make these improvements.
In Minneapolis and other urbanized areas, much of the land surface is covered by buildings and pavement which does not allow rain and snowmelt to soak into the ground. Instead, storm drains carry large amounts of this stormwater runoff directly to the Mississippi River. Along the way, the runoff picks up pollutants and discharges them into the river.
How we care for our yards, wash and maintain our cars, and even dispose of pet waster can contribute to water pollution in the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is a major source of drinking water for Minneapolis as well as for other places throughout the country. There are many choices we can make to reduce these harmful impacts to river wildlife and city water supplies.
The West Broadway Business and Area Coalition will use the grant to create a Watershed Management Master Plan for the West Broadway area. This plan will map the watershed drainage patterns, locate areas in which infrastructure improvements could improve the quality of water entering the Mississippi River and develop goals and an implementation plan to achieve the desired outcomes. Check out erin@westbroadway.org or www.mwmo.org/stewardshipfund.html.