This spring, the Minneapolis Convention Center has begun using its recently installed stormwater storage system, which will keep an estimated 5.4 million gallons of stormwater from running off and into the Mississippi River each year. A series of large rainwater storage pipes buried under the center’s marshalling yard will collect runoff from the building’s roof, with a total storage capacity of 250,000 gallons. The stored water will be used to irrigate the landscaped areas all around the center, becoming the primary source of water for the facility’s irrigation system.
The system captures water from about 10 acres of the building’s roof and stores it in a network of 10- and 11-foot diameter corrugated steel pipes until it’s needed for irrigation. In addition to reducing stormwater runoff to the river, it also significantly lowers the center’s water costs by reducing the amount of potable water the center has used to irrigate its green spaces in the past.
This major project is a recognition of the importance of the Mississippi River and our lakes to the region. As Minneapolis has embraced the riverfront in recent years as a draw for recreation, visitors and new businesses, the City of Minneapolis and many partners have invested in efforts to reduce the amount of stormwater runoff from properties in the city, which carries pollutants into the storm sewers and into our lakes and river.
This project will further the Minneapolis Convention Center’s efforts to attain United States Green Building Council LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation & Maintenance certification. The rainwater project will help by meeting the LEED credit requirements for Rainwater Management.
The City-owned Minneapolis Convention Center is the largest indoor, contiguous convention center in the Upper Midwest. The MCC is more than a meeting place. It’s more than a show space. It’s a building all about building something else…relationships. With nearly 480,000 square feet of trade show space, 87 column-free conference meeting rooms, a 28,000-square-foot ballroom, and an auditorium with superb production and flexible technology options, the facility can handle any event from a small meeting to a large convention or trade show. To learn more about sustainability initiatives at the Minneapolis Convention Center, visit the center’s website.
