City of Duluth announces Private Stormwater BMP Inspection and Maintenance Program

The city of Duluth, Minn. has launched a new Private Stormwater BMP Inspection and Maintenance Program for commercial, multifamily and certain residential properties.

Duluth’s Engineering Division will begin inspecting private stormwater management systems this spring, a news release by the city said. 

The Private Stormwater BMP Inspection and Maintenance Program targets properties with permanent structural Best Management Practices installed on-site, including those in planned developments such as homeowner associations.

The systems inspected will include stormwater ponds, filtration basins, rain gardens, permeable pavement, underground sedimentation devices and specialized catch basins, installed during development or redevelopment to control stormwater runoff quality and quantity.

The structures provide flood control, treat runoff and capture pollutants before water reaches natural bodies. Unlike municipal wastewater, stormwater flows untreated into lakes and streams.

Duluth's water resources include Lake Superior, the St. Louis River Bay Estuary, wetlands and 60 streams, 16 of which support trout populations.