In the past, water poured off Wabasha, Minnesota’s downtown roofs and flowed directly to the Mississippi River. Now it’s absorbed in landscaped basins, passed through an underground catchment filter, and infiltrated through brick-paved sidewalks, stairs, plaza and an alley near the National Eagle Center.
In real-life fashion, Wabasha’s riverfront developed “piecemeal, over time,” says city planner Molly Patterson-Lundgren of WSB & Associates. The City, a local nonprofit, developers, and private donors worked together over time to improve a special place, local life, economics, and water quality at the same time.
“I’m so proud of it!” said Patterson-Lundgren in a recent interview with NewGround. “This small town pulled off innovative stormwater management and cultural development concepts. They took initiative, developed public/private partnerships, and ended up with more than they envisioned.”
NewGround is telling this story and others to inspire more action and collaboration in Minnesota’s Mississippi River-Winona watershed. See the full story here.
