Stormwater Presents Challenges & Opportunities

Prior to modern development, rain could soak into the ground where it fell. Today, rain must cross obstacles such as parking lots, rooftops, and streets before it can infiltrate. We call the rain or snowmelt that falls onto these impervious surfaces stormwater. As it flows across hard surfaces, stormwater picks up any pollutants in its path.

Projects that help rain soak into the ground are a key step toward minimizing water pollution and improving water quality. Street reconstruction projects offer a valuable opportunity to incorporate stormwater treatment practices while the area is under construction. This offers a win-win situation: updated streets and improved water quality. 

In 2024, the Vadnais Lake Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO) partnered with the City of White Bear Lake (City) as they planned a street rehabilitation project spanning four streets. Collaboration between VLAWMO, the City, Ramsey County Soil and Water Conservation Division, and White Bear Lake residents was key in determining which locations within the proposed street rehabilitation area could feasibly support practices that treat stormwater and improve water quality. 

Collaborative Curb Cut Rain Gardens Offer a Way Forward

For this project, curb cut rain gardens were the selected stormwater treatment practice. Rain gardens are specially designed plantings with a bowl shape that allows them to capture and filter rainwater from surrounding hard surfaces. The curb cut feature – a break in the curb’s edge – guides water from the street into the garden. The rain gardens in this project also feature a concrete splash block and sump pretreatment structure that collects sediment and debris. From there, long-rooted native plants in the rain garden basins help filter pollutants from the collected stormwater as it soaks into the ground.

In total, five curb cut rain gardens were constructed with this street project. These gardens treat stormwater runoff from about 1.86 acres before the water makes its way into Lambert Creek.

Over 400 native plants were added to these rain gardens in spring of 2025, creating critical pollinator habitat and filtering out water pollutants.

This project was made possible through VLAWMO’s Landscape Level 2 grant program, as well as the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) Watershed Based Implementation Funding program (WBIF) and participation from White Bear Lake residents. 

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