Duluth spends $7 million to upgrade stormwater system near Brewery Creek

Duluth committed roughly $7 million to rebuild the stormwater system near Palm Street and Blackman Avenue to keep Brewery Creek from pushing floodwater back into Central Hillside and downtown. The work follows the September 2023 storm that dumped an estimated 3 to 6 inches of rain over parts of Duluth, flooded Superior Street, and swamped the I-35 tunnels and the Hillside.

The project replaces an existing pond that city officials say has not functioned well enough for today’s storms. Duluth has identified the Brewery Creek and Central Hillside area as an Environmental Justice community, and the city has tied the project to both flood control and water quality because stormwater runoff remains a major source of pollution. Much of Duluth’s stormwater network is over 100 years old, including about 36 miles of sewers, culverts and tunneled creeks.

At the center of the overhaul is a smart pond, the first of its kind in Minnesota. The system will use National Weather Service data so engineers can adjust water levels in real time, a feature meant to store more water higher in the watershed before it can race downhill toward the most vulnerable parts of the city. When the rebuild is complete, the pond is expected to hold up to 4 million gallons.

Ryan Granlund said the scope is large and will take all summer, and the aging system needs to be modernized because rain events are becoming more intense and more frequent. The work includes sheet pile retaining walls, excavation, revetment mats, directional-drilled and open-cut storm sewer work, electronic slide-gate controls and landscaping.

The money for the project has come from both state and local sources. Duluth’s current project page lists $5 million from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Implementation Grants for Stormwater Resilience and a $1 million city stormwater fee match, while construction bids for the Palm Street Smart Pond came in between about $7.087 million and $8.613 million. The goal is to finish most of the work by fall, restore the site afterward and have the system ready in spring 2027.