New interactive story map gives virtual tour of environmental stewardship practices at Woodbury City Hall campus

WOODBURY, MN (WNN) – For the City of Woodbury, environmental stewardship practice begins at home. Now residents can see that for themselves, without leaving home.

A new interactive story map on the City of Woodbury’s website, completed earlier this year, takes visitors on a virtual tour through the myriad ways the city practices environmental stewardship and sustainability on the City Hall campus.

“We created the City Hall Sustainability Story Map to capture all the improvements made at City Hall that serve as demonstrations, but are not exactly all that visible to visitors – such as geothermal and the green roof,” said Jennifer McLoughlin, Environmental Resources Manager for the city. “From our investments, and experience with ongoing maintenance, we can advise private developers and residents on best practices that better the environment.”

Environmental stewardship has become a major component of the city’s strategic vision and initiatives, and city officials have taken steps to walk the talk. As the City Hall campus has been remodeled or improved over the last two decades or so, a number of projects have been installed that help to conserve energy, improve surface water quality and protect or improve the natural environment.

The projects themselves are not the newest sustainability projects in the city, with the most recent one completed in 2021. There are several others elsewhere in the city that were completed in 2024 (more on those later in this series).

But the new story map, which went on line at the end of 2024, serves as a kind of introduction to the concepts and goals of sustainability projects. As you click on numbered icons around the map, pop-ups in muted colors show the details of each type of project and explain their function.

Some highlights of lessons from the map include:

Tree trenches:
Tree Trenches are used for stormwater treatment, designed to filter stormwater runoff. Three medians in the southern part of the City Hall parking lot function as tree trenches. Similar to pervious pavers and rain gardens, water from the parking lot is directed to the tree trench before it flows into the stormwater pond, eventually reaching the adjacent wetland. Tree trenches are engineered to provide a more conducive environment for trees to thrive, even in the challenging conditions often found in parking lots. In addition to managing stormwater runoff, trees offer a number of other benefits, according to the website:
o A typical medium-sized tree can intercept as much as 2,380 gallons of rainfall per
year.
o The shade that tree canopy provides helps to reduce the urban heat island effect.
o According to the Minnesota Stormwater Manual, tree best management practices are among the most effective strategies for pollutant removal. Trees are especially good at removing suspended solids, metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other organic compounds.

Heated pavement:
Having heated pavement greatly reduces the amount of de-icing salts and chloride that city staff need to use to keep the front access to city hall safe  in wintery conditions. Chlorides from roadways, parking lots and walkways have been increasingly found in area waterways. They are considered a pollutant, harming fish, waterfowl and plant life, and are hard to remove once present. To keep the sidewalk surface temperature above freezing, city staff installed tubing below the sidewalk that circulates warm water. The system is powered by high efficiency condensing boilers.

Pervious pavers:
In place of asphalt or concrete, pervious pavers were installed in a section of the parking lot to allow stormwater to soak into the ground instead of  running off into storm drains. Water can move between the gaps and filter through the subsurface rock bed below. Salt is not applied to this area of the parking lot during the winter months, which preserves the material and minimizes chloride discharging into the system and downstream waterbodies.

Rain garden:
A rain garden has been installed in the curb island between the two pervious paver systems. The rain garden paired with the pavers creates a treatment train of effective stormwater management practices. In traditionally designed parking lots, water is directed off the hard surfaces as quickly as possible, often carrying substances, such as leaves, dirt and trash, that increase phosphorus levels in downstream waterbodies. Trees and native plants within the rain garden aid in treating the water with deep growing roots, while also providing habitat for native birds, bugs, and pollinators. In wet conditions, rainwater and snowmelt from this area are directed into to the stormwater treatment pond east of City Hall. This system provides flood protection for the parking lot and native plants, but also provides an additional opportunity for heavy sediment and debris to settle within the pond before entering the natural wetland south of the building.

Stormwater pond:
These designed basins collect and manage stormwater, helping to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and manage the quantity of water before it reaches larger bodies of water like rivers, wetlands and lakes. In addition to filtering pollutants, these ponds can provide essential habitat for wildlife. The stormwater  pond east of City Hall drains into nearby wetlands, then discharges into Tamarack Nature Preserve, before flowing west into the Mississippi River. The pollutant removal capacity of the pond adjacent to City Hall is enhanced by sustainable features in the nearby parking lot, including pervious pavers, rain gardens, and tree trenches.

Green roof:
A green roof consisting of various plantings covers a conference room on the south side of City Hall. The plants absorb rainwater and water is filtered through the plants and soil media, cleaning the water before it discharges to the nearby wetland. There is another green roof located at the Public Safety building.

Grass pave:
Two reinforced turf products were used alongside the walking paths adjacent to City Hall. These products can support the weight of a fire truck without damage, ensuring safe access for emergency vehicles to City Hall. As a result, the walking paths can be narrower, reducing the amount of impervious surface. Less impervious surface results in smaller stormwater discharges, which improves flood control, reduces erosion, and increases water infiltration. Other sustainability features noted on the map include tree canopy, plant restoration, and the building’s geothermal heating and cooling system.