The vast history of the City of Duluth, Minnesota, is reflected in its distinctive natural and urban landscape qualities; rich in water resources with over 240 miles of streams tributary to the Saint Louis River or that discharge directly into Lake Superior. During the early development decades, numerous neighborhoods were built on the steep hills and industrial districts filled the shoreline of Lake Superior; many of these areas developed without adequate stormwater controls. Stream channelization and increased imperviousness of the urban environment resulted in larger volumes of runoff, larger amounts of sediment and pollutants, water quality degradation, and greater flood risk. Floodplain management and aging infrastructure add to the complexity of the stormwater management equation, with multiple creeks routed underground and much of the stormwater infrastructure designed for last-century storms, in many cases, existing infrastructure is approaching the end of its useful life or is already well beyond it. New infrastructure planning requires improved baselines that consider climate change and its associated evolving risks, as well as social and environmental factors that focus on identifying areas of vulnerability and target projects that aim to increase infrastructure and community resilience. This stormwater management plan includes the first phase of a city-wide assessment that aims to provide the city with a clear and detailed prioritization framework that comprises characterization of the watersheds and sewersheds, analysis of multiple environmental parameters such as land use, floodplains, water quality, existing infrastructure, and incorporates social vulnerability, environmental justice, and critical services into the community-wide scale study.
