City gets report on downtown flooding

At the last meeting of the Grand Marais City Council, councilmembers considered the feedback it has received to date on the city’s stormwater management plan.

Last week the city’s consultants, EOR, created and distributed a map of downtown Grand Marais illustrating the area and extent of flooding in downtown Grand Marais.  The consultants asked for feedback from the public, asking, “What level of flooding is acceptable to you?”

The council used the feedback on that question to set a preliminary goal for its tolerance of flooding depth and duration in the municipal parking lot and downtown area. After quite a bit of discussion, the council agreed that the city could tolerate flooding of up to 12 inches for 12 hours.

Councilors noted that of course no flooding in the business area would be wonderful, but because of the topography of the area and Lake Superior's water level, that is not realistic. They noted that the 12 for 12 guideline is a starting point. 

Based on the city’s goal, EOR will prepare a list of projects and costs for a stormwater management plan.

Visit the Stormwater Management Plan section of the city's website where you can see the drainage area map and submit comments. 

Rhonda Silence spoke with Manager Jay Arrowsmith DeCoux about the city's decision.