Hidden stormwater infrastructure creates visible benefits.

• Position: News & Numbers

The City of Saint Paul, Minnesota, has 450 miles of storm sewers and tunnels, and this infrastructure plays an incredibly important role--moving stormwater away from land as quickly and efficiently as possible, Goveming.com reports. But the systems and process are by design invisible, making them easily forgotten, with the obvious potential consequence on maintenance.

Saint Paul is dealing with this situation by treating stormwater as a visible and valuable resource, using it to water trees along the light rail transit system via permeable pavers and layers of engineered soil, and irrigating the field and flushing the toilets at the minor league baseball stadium. Next, the city hopes to maximize public benefit by managing stormwater in innovative, eco-friendly ways at major urban brownfield sites, helping to elevate property value, catalyze neighborhood revitalization, and attract strategic...