Children’s Dental Services

This nonprofit dental care provider for low-income families replaced the old asphalt parking lot at its East Hennepin Avenue location with 4,200 square feet of permeable pavers. Beneath the new parking area, a pair of infiltration cells captures, stores and infiltrates nearly all of the site’s annual stormwater runoff, including water diverted from the building’s roof.

Previously, the site shed all of its runoff into the alley behind the fence, sending pollutants like phosphorus and sediment flowing into nearby stormdrains. The new system captures and treats these pollutants on site. Children’s Dental Services believes that environmental sustainability measures support its larger social justice mission.

During the course of three years, the project team utilized all three types of MWMO Stewardship Fund grants. A Mini Grant funded soil testing and analysis, a Planning Grant funded the design and an Action Grant helped fund the actual construction.