ST. PAUL—The Minnesota DNR received a $974,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency will use the funding to support Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program and its ongoing work to protect and enhance coastal resources.
Most of the funding will go toward five projects in the coastal area. The projects will:
• Improve the 3.35-mile Western Waterfront Trail along the St. Louis River waterfront in West Duluth, including Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades.
• Continue a culvert inventory project, locating and assessing culverts on 109 miles of St. Louis County roadways.
• Rehabilitate portions of the city of Silver Bay’s wastewater treatment plant to improve water quality discharges to Lake Superior.
• Install stormwater ponds and a rain garden at the Gary New Duluth Recreation Area to reduce the amount of polluted runoff.
• Collect and analyze water samples on seven Duluth streams and operate five real-time water quality stations in Duluth.
The DNR selected these projects earlier this year through Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program’s Annual Grants competition.
“We are excited to see these new projects get off the ground,” said Amber Westerbur, program manager. “Equally exciting is the opportunity to work collaboratively with others and share more about our program and its impact on the North Shore.”
For more information about Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program, visit www.mndnr.gov/mlscp.