CRWD Building Grounds

It started in 2012 when we realized we would eventually run out of room in our old location. We wanted our own office space that was also a demonstration site to emulate the work we do in the watershed.

We looked at over 75 sites before finding the right spot at 595 Aldine Street. The building at the corner of Aldine Street and Thomas Avenue was an industrial space and a garage since being developed in the 1940s. CRWD purchased it from MacQueen Equipment after their company relocated.

Before we began construction, rainwater and snowmelt would flow to storm drains from the paved surfaces covering most of the site. The soil had pollution from prior industrial uses and few trees.

We incorporated numerous clean water features to collect rainwater and allow it to soak into the ground.  Not a drop of rain leaves our site!

When it rains or snow melts in a city, water flows over hard surfaces like roads, sidewalks, and roofs and into the storm sewer system. Without treatment, the system quickly carries water to nearby lakes and the Mississippi River. Anything on the street, like trash, salt, or leaves, ends up in our waterways.

We help build projects to slow down and soak up water before it reaches storm drains. There are rain gardens, a rainwater reuse system, permeable pavement, tree trenches, and underground infiltration pipes to capture and clean every drop of water that lands on our property.

Rain Gardens

Rain gardens around our site collect water from our garage roof, parking lots and sidewalks. They soak up and clean rainwater to help protect our lakes and the Mississippi River. The roots of native plants and soil microbes help break down pollutants in the water while it seeps deeper into the ground. In the gardens on the west side of our building, any extra water overflows to the underground infiltration pipes.

Native plants provide a habitat for pollinators like birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. We’ve even spotted the endangered rusty-patched bumble bees in our gardens. We have over 43 species of native plants across our site.

Tree Trenches

The tree trenches around our site help protect the Mississippi River by cleaning polluted rainwater that would otherwise flow directly to the river without treatment.

Rainwater from the street flows to a trench planted with trees and filled with soil and rocks underground. The trees sink their roots into the rocks where the water is stored. Excess water seeps deeper into the ground and is filtered by the layers of rock and soil. The leaves of the tree canopy help intercept rainwater before it reaches the ground. You can find more tree trenches along the Green Line on University Avenue and at Allianz Field.

Trees provide food and habitat for wildlife, improve air quality and keep our neighborhood cooler in the summer. We added over 40 native trees like swamp white oak, tamarack, and blue beech around our site.

Permeable Pavers

The bricks in our east parking lot are called permeable pavers because rainwater flows through the gaps and soaks into the ground below. Permeable pavers prevent rainwater from carrying pollution like trash, salt, and leaves to the Mississippi River.

Cistern

Rainwater is collected from the roof, stored in a 3,000-gallon cistern inside the lobby, filtered, and used around the site for flushing toilets, supplying the Watershed exhibit and pond, and nourishing the gardens and trees.

The cistern is connected to weather forecasting and empties into the rain gardens behind our building before storms arrive. This allows us to collect and reuse more rainwater while nourishing our gardens.

Underground Infiltration

Four-foot diameter pipes with thousands of holes are hidden below the pavement in the southwest corner of our site. They can collect 75,000 gallons of rainwater and snowmelt from the parking lots and extra water from the cistern and rain gardens. Pollutants in the water and soil are broken down as the water slowly seeps deeper underground.

Pocket Park

When we envisioned the grounds, we aimed to create a beautiful green space to benefit the community. Our pocket park is a neighborhood gem, featuring a tranquil pond and a small meandering stream channel fed by rainwater from the cistern. In addition, our interactive Watershed exhibit is popular with children, as is the Little Free Library, along with the game cards for the Water Wildlife Exploration Game for the sidewalk stamps around our building. The boulevards are a delightful mix of native plants and wildflowers, which provide essential food and habitat for pollinators like bees and butterflies. People of all ages, including neighbors, staff, and visitors, come to enjoy our pocket park.

Our building and grounds achieved LEED v4 Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council Minnesota. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building rating system symbolizing sustainability achievement and leadership.

· Replaced 20% of the hard surfaces on-site with green space and native plantings.
· Added 51 species of native plants, including flowers, trees, grasses, shrubs and sedges.
· Monitoring wells at the underground infiltration system and stormwater monitoring stations around the site
· Nearly 60,000 gallons of rainwater fall on our campus during a storm with one inch of rain. The water soaks into the ground or collects in our cistern, where we reuse it for the pocket park and flushing toilets.

All these practices work together to capture water and allow it to soak into the ground instead of carrying pollution to nearby storm drains and the river.