Bring water back to St. Paul

Did you know?

Here are some little-known-facts about stormwater runoff in St. Paul and surrounding communities.

  • FACT

    Stormwater from portions of St. Paul, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Maplewood and Roseville drains into the Mississippi River. The area is known as Capitol Region Watershed. Water draining to Como Lake, Crosby Lake and Lake McCarrons also flows into the Mississippi.

  • FACT

    Cities are filled with roofs, sidewalks, and paved parking lots - surfaces that don't absorb water. When it rains, water flows across these hard surfaces, collecting pollution such as grass clippings, pet waste, road salt, trash and auto fluids - carrying it to lakes and rivers through storm drain pipes. Click here to get the 101 on stormwater.

  • FACT

    CRWD is 42% impervious surfaces like parking lots, streets, and sidewalks, so it produces more pollutants than any other watershed district in Minnesota. We need your help to change this!

  • FACT

    Some of the most common pollutants entering the Mississippi River from CRWD are phosphorous, sediment, lead, copper and bacteria - things that can be found in our yards (e.g. fertilizer) and roadways (e.g. auto fluids, heavy metals).

  • FACT

    According to the Mid-America Regional Council, each downspout on a house can drain approximately 12 gallons of water per minute during a one-inch rainfall.

  • FACT

    Polluted stormwater can kill or damage plants, fish and wildlife, while degrading water quality in local watersheds. This affects the recreational use of lake and rivers - boating, fishing, and swimming, and makes water more difficult and expensive to clean before it arrives in our homes as drinking water.

  • FACT

    The City of St. Paul draws most of its drinking water from the Mississippi River - the same place where our polluted stormwater drains.

  • FACT

    "Bring Water Back to St. Paul" is an appropriate mantra for this program because we want to bring water back to groundwater sources by encouraging residents to allow more water to soak into the ground instead of draining to lakes and rivers.

  • FACT

    When compared to water that is treated for home use, rain is naturally soft and free of minerals, chlorine and other chemicals that can be harmful to plants. That's why rain water is such a valuable resource for maintaining a healthy lawn and garden.

  • FACT

    A watershed district is a special purpose unit of local government that works to protect and improve water quality in the lakes, rivers and wetlands within its boundaries.