Hitting A Home Run for Stormwater Reuse at the Lowertown Ballpark in Saint Paul, Minnesota

Construction of the Lowertown Ballpark presented unique and challenging opportunities for stormwater management at a contaminated factory site. A partnership between Saint Paul, Capitol Region Watershed District, and Metropolitan Council resulted in innovative stormwater best management practices that exceed state and local water quality requirements, provide the first municipal stormwater reuse system for indoor use in Minnesota, and raise stormwater awareness of 400,000 annual visitors.One of the most innovative BMPs is the 27,000 gallon rainwater harvesting system that collects, filters and treats rainwater from ¾-acre roof adjacent to the ballpark. The system meets 20% of irrigation demand and reduce overall potable water demand by 16% at ballpark. Two interactive educational kiosks provide real-time information on water level in the cistern and gallons of water reused.Other ballpark BMPs include raingardens, filtration swales, tree trenches, and underground filtration system. The BMPs reduce sediment load to the Mississippi River by 90%.