Capitol Area Stormwater Management

Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD) and Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board (CAAPB) partnered on a stormwater management study to understand water quality and quantity issues in the Capitol Area and identify regional green infrastructure opportunities for improved stormwater management. The study area is approximately 333 acres including 60 blocks in the City of Saint Paul and has four distinct areas:

CAAPB completed its 2040 Comprehensive Plan for the Minnesota State Capitol Area in 2021. The plan seeks to transform the Capitol Area into a healthy community with vibrant public spaces, a range of movement options, diverse land uses and attractive buildings framing lively, pedestrian friendly streets. Projects in this area must apply a holistic lens of economic vitality, energy and environment, health, placemaking and communities to their design. Visions abound in the new plan, including restoration of a walkable diverse urban village pattern at the former Sears site, mobility hub and streetscape improvements in the Capitol Rice corridor, and planning for the landscape of the Capitol Mall.

CRWD and CAAPB believe that stormwater management strategies will be integral to achieving the broader vision and goals in the Capitol Area comprehensive plan. Key stakeholders of the study include State of Minnesota Department of Administration, Minnesota Department of Transportation, City of Saint Paul, Ramsey County, large property owners such as Seritage (owner and developer of the former Sears Site), District planning councils, hospitals, families living several residential districts, and other community organizations.

Capitol Area Stormwater Management Fact Sheet PDF

The Challenge

12th and Cedar Street intersection

Rice Street METRO Green Line Station

"Many know this area as home to the Capitol and Minnesota’s front yard. Fewer know this ground as a place we have gathered, lived and worked since native Minnesotans first called the river and hills of downtown their home. Today, there are opportunities to form new stories, and to create a healthier and more unifying landscape. Thanks to the funding of the watershed, the starting point in the Capitol Area is to define excellence in how we manage Minnesota’s #1 natural resource." – Peter Musty, Principal Planner and Zoning Administrator, Capitol Area Architectural and Planning Board

The Solution

The Capitol Area is poised to experience significant change over the next several years, with large redevelopment projects, the Capitol Mall redesign, and several roadway/transit improvements in the planning stages. This change presents a tremendous opportunity to manage stormwater runoff differently and to proactively plan for district stormwater systems that use green infrastructure practices.

The Capitol Area Stormwater Management Study (CASMS), linked below, examined opportunities for “district” stormwater management systems (systems serving more than one public or private parcel) that employ “green infrastructure” practices within the Capitol Area. District systems offer efficiencies and can provide additional functions and community benefits beyond stormwater runoff management. Green infrastructure practices capture stormwater runoff for reuse or allow it to soak into the ground instead of running into storm sewers.

The CASMS began with an initial screening of stormwater conditions to identify opportunities for more resilient stormwater management practices and to prioritize areas for focus. Early ideas generated from this process were then used to inform conversations with potential partnering agencies and community organizations. Using results from the screening analyses, feedback from the agency partners, and considering anticipated timelines for redevelopment and capital improvement projects within the Capitol Area, four focus areas were identified for further evaluation of district stormwater systems:

  1. The former Sears redevelopment site
  2. The University Avenue and Rice Street intersection
  3. The Rice Street corridor
  4. The Capitol Mall

The goal for each system was to maximize the stormwater and associated community benefits while acknowledging the unique constraints at each site.

To evaluate the costs and benefits of taking a district stormwater approach, a “triple bottom line” (TBL) analysis was used. The TBL approach goes beyond a typical cost-benefit evaluation to consider:

  • Economic factors: The economic viability and profitability of a project.
  • Social factors: The effect on human well-being and the welfare of the community or stakeholder groups. This includes considerations related to equity, social justice, health, and quality of life.

Environmental factors: The ecological consequences of the project, including water quality, energy consumption or savings, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental sustainability.

Benefits of district systems in the Capitol Area include

    • Increased volumes of water captured and treated (1.4 to 11 times)
    • Enhanced user experience through the development of urban greening and the creation of three additional park spaces
    • Greater phosphorus removal from runoff (1.3 to 3 times)
    • Opportunities for stormwater reuse storage (up to 2.9 acre-feet)
    • Reduced urban heat island effect and improved air quality
    • Improved return on investment (1.2 to 6.2 times)

Next Steps

CRWD and CAAPB are continuing conversations with potential local, state, and private project partners to further define the opportunities and constraints for district systems within the Capitol Area.

As additional projects within the study area advance through the planning stages, the district stormwater concepts, goals, and guidelines developed through this planning effort will continue to inform the agency partners and encourage a more resilient and integrated approach to managing one of our state’s most precious resources.

 

An aerial view of the Capitol Area, the Minnesota State Capitol building is in the center with the downtown Saint Paul skyline and the Mississippi River in the background.
Stormwater management systems in the Capitol Area improve water quality in the nearby Mississippi River.
Capitol Area Stormwater Management Study PDF

The domed Minnesota State Capitol building with a fading sunset behind it in colors of pink, purple and orange.
The Minnesota State Capitol building at sunset.
An aerial view of the Capitol Area, the Minnesota State Capitol building and grounds are at the center of the developed, urban area.
The Capitol Area is approximately 333 acres including 60 blocks in the City of Saint Paul.
The dome of the Minnesota State Capitol building is in the background of a busy urban intersection with a person biking and cars on the street next to a bus stop, and a light rail station.
University Avenue and Rice Street
A person on an electric scooter crosses a street on the sidewalk near a METRO Green Line train.
The Capitol Area offers a variety of transportation methods.