EcoEducation: MWMO: Protecting Water Quality and Habitat in the Urban Environment

Posted on Sep 17, 2019
Education water

EcoEducation: MWMO: Protecting Water Quality and Habitat in the Urban Environment

We know watersheds to be land areas that channel rainfall and snowmelt to creeks, rivers, lakes, and eventually oceans.  In an urban environment a unique component of the watershed is the storm sewer system.  The Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO) partners with its member communities to invest in green infrastructure that captures, cleans and reuses storm water runoff as well as monitoring the water quality within the watershed and conducting education and outreach.  

Abby Moore treated the Rotary EcoClub to an informative presentation on some of the large capital improvement projects that the MWMO has been a part of.  The engineering and planning at the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden and at Westminster Presbyterian Church are particularly impressive and illustrate some of the challenges facing water stewards in an urban environment dominated by hardscape.  Learn more about the MWMO improvement projects. 

Abby also brought the club on a tour of the rain management system at the MWMO learning center.  The system includes a cistern, permeable pavers, rain gardens, and amazing tree trench.  Together the system can absorb seven inches of rain in 1 day with no runoff going into the river.  Find out how to employ some of these techniques on your residential property. 

 

Find out which watershed district manages the watershed where you live. 

 

 
The Rotary Eco Club learns more about the amazing rain management system in place at the MWMO headquarters and learning center.