City awarded climate change grant

The city of Cloquet is getting some help with being proactive about climate change.

On Monday, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced a $106,000 grant to the city to better understand how to prepare the infrastructure for extreme weather caused by climate change.

Cloquet will use the funds to update and expand their comprehensive stormwater master plan, which will include identifying infrastructure inadequacies, specific projects to address localized flooding, and funding needed for implementation. The city is matching the MPCA’s investment with a $26,000 contribution.

“Over the last 10 years the extremes in our local weather patterns have been apparent with historic flooding in 2012 followed by extreme drought conditions in 2021,” said mayor Roger Maki. “As these extreme weather events increase in frequency, infrastructure resiliency, planning, and wise capital investment of public resources are critically important.”

Communities across Minnesota are also recognizing the need to prepare for climate change. According to a recent MPCA survey, 87 percent of local governments reported recently experiencing the impact of at least one weather trend caused by climate change. Forty-two percent of Minnesota communities reported the need for additional funding for planning and infrastructure upgrades to address these impacts.

Maki said updating the 40-year-old stormwater master plan is a big deal. “This partnership will allow our community to utilize modern technology, science, and feedback from our residents to implement a living document based on the best research and technology available,” he said.