Two Harbors: Investments in Green Infrastructure Pay Off

Following a 100-year rain storm in 1999, city officials of Two Harbors, Minnesota were concerned by the devastating flood damages to infrastructure, properties, roads, and water ways. They designed stormwater management plan emphasizing green infrastructure development. All togather, the city built three flood control basins, two streambank stabilization projects, and a rain garden. Grants for the plan were provided by the Minnesota Lake Superior Coastal Program, and the town invested a total of $80,000 in the infrastructure. The stormwater development successfully protected the city from the Solstice Flood rainfall in 2012 with only minor damage.