St. Louis has a Secret Stormwater Weapon Saving 100 Million Gallons from the Mississippi

Urban farms and gardens are helping St. Louis absorb and filter stormwater, preventing it from overwhelming the city’s combined stormwater/sewer system and preventing pollution from reaching local rivers and creeks.

As Elizabeth Hewitt explains in Reasons to be Cheerful, “If the system is overloaded, wastewater either overflows — sending pollutants directly into the Mississippi River — or backs up, into basements or streets.” Now, a multi-decade plan is in the works to overhaul the city’s wastewater system and make the overall urban landscape more absorbent to prevent flooding — a plan that makes community members key participants in making the city more resilient.

The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is investing $120 million by 2034 on projects that include subsidies for landowners who use water collection methods on their property. “Projects range from bioretention basins — depressions filled with plants that gather water — to backyard rain barrels that collect precipitation and use it to irrigate native plant or vegetable gardens.”

The reimbursements not only prevent stormwater from going to waste and reduce flooding but also support gardens that grow fresh food in areas where produce is scarce. “Beyond improving water quality, green infrastructure projects can be a boon for the people who live in the communities around them and who get to enjoy natural spaces, shadier streets and cleaner air.”