Cash Grants Available for Homeowners to Protect Local Water Resources

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District has kicked off a new program that could cover—with cash—up to half the cost of some home landscape projects.

Polluted stormwater runoff is the biggest water quality problem in the state. The hope is that this program will encourage local homeowners to implement green initiatives in their homes’ landscapes, ultimately protecting local water resources like Minnehaha Creek.

“There is a real need to capture this runoff before it pollutes our valuable natural resources,” said Aldis Kurmis, the district's cost share specialist. “We’re hoping these new grants will be an incentive for people to take action right in their own backyard.”

In a natural environment, most rainwater soaks into the ground or is captured by trees or other plants.  But in developed areas, rainwater runs off roads, parking lots and rooftops, carrying dirt, fertilizer, pesticides and other harmful material into lakes, streams and wetlands. 

According to the district, “The poor water quality that results from stormwater runoff affects recreation, fish and wildlife, and reduces property values near affected lakes and streams.”

Grant-eligible home improvement projects that prevent this runoff from occurring include raingardens, which filter stormwater, and also pervious sidewalk and driveway pavement, which allows rain to pass through the material to a drainage system below. Cash grants from this new program would pay up to 50 percent of the cost for these kinds of projects—capping at $2,500 maximum per project. 

“It’s going to benefit everyone,” Watershed District Communications Director Telly Mamayek told Patch. “You don’t necessarily have to live on Lake Minnetonka or Minnehaha Creek.”

But for area residents who do live on shoreline, the district wants them to consider installing native plant borders along streambanks and shorelines.  Native plant roots filter and absorb polluted runoff, they prevent erosion by anchoring the soil and they beautify the shoreline and their natural height and density also discourages geese, which are attracted to turf adjacent to water. Under this grant program, the district would pay up to 50 percent of the cost for planting native species along Minnehaha Creek and Lake Minnetonka—capping at $5,000 maximum per project. 

“There are several options people can take to enhance their property and help the environment at the same time,” Kurmis said.

The total grant money available for locals under the watershed district’s Stormwater BMP and Shoreline/Streambank Stabilization Cost Share program is about $265,000. Minnehaha Creek Watershed District encompasses 181 square miles, including Minnehaha Creek, Lake Minnetonka, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes and Minnehaha Falls. The group is funded by local taxpayers.  

Check the watershed district's website for more information on the Stormwater BMP and Shoreline/Streambank Stabilization Cost Share program.