Title
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION TO THE MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY CLIMATE RESILIENCY PROGRAM FOR FUNDS TO DEVELOP A STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PLAN.
Body
CITY PROPOSAL:
RESOLVED, that the proper city officials are hereby authorized to apply for up to $100,000 from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
FURTHER RESOLVED, the city of Duluth has the legal authority to accept the money and financial, technical, and managerial capacity to ensure proper planning and maintenance of the project. The City will meet the required 10% match through in-kind staff time.
FURTHER RESOLVED, the Duluth city council names the fiscal agent for this project as Jennifer Carlson, City of Duluth Finance Director, 411 West 1st Street, Duluth MN 55802.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This planning grant will provide funding to begin drafting a comprehensive surface water management plan. The plan will include streams/wetlands as well as built infrastructure, including the network of stormwater conveyance structures, green infrastructure utilizing native plants, and traditional systems for stormwater treatment. It would also include the city’s efforts to improve its MPCA-identified impaired/TMDL receiving waters, and would identify Duluth communities vulnerable to flooding and erosion. Addressing stormwater/flood protection is a high priority because communities with higher populations of low-income residents and people of color experience the negative consequences of climate change more than others, and have a harder time adapting to or responding to these changes. This is especially true for Duluth’s inner-city neighborhoods that exist on the steep hillsides with little green infrastructure to mitigate storm events. Further, many of the streams flowing through Duluth are impaired and contribute to impairments to the St. Louis River and Lake Superior. Addressing these impairments is a priority for Duluth, the MPCA and the Minnesota DNR.