Sewer overflows and excessive storm water run–off have been serious issues in Duluth due to its steep slope, heavy clay soils and many streams flowing into Lake Superior.

Research in Duluth's Lakeside neighborhood is being completed to show homeowners how to measurably reduce run–off as meteorologist Shannon Murphy explains in, "Your Green Life."

The Minnesota Conservation Corp is a youth group from all over the Midwest.

"I come from Brooklyn Center, Minnesota."

"St. Francis"

"St. Paul, Minnesota."

"I am from Madison, Wisconsin."

That partnered up with the city of Duluth and some local environmental groups to landscape a neighborhood attempting to reduce storm water run–off.

"Everything that people have put on the landscape like roofs and driveways and lawns even lawns just leads to runoff."

"It's collecting whatever sediment and pollution is on the surface and then it is getting into the water."

"The sediment creates more turbid water which is just like the cloudier water. The fish breathe through gills and so that's basically the equivalent of air pollution for fish."

The project location was chosen near Amity Creek, because turbidity has impaired this trout stream.

"We monitored the storm water for a year. And now we are doing these treatments... the rain gardens and things and after those are installed next year we will spend another full year monitoring the amount of water flowing through the storm sewers."

Throughout this neighborhood, there will be five rain gardens planted, 250 trees and shrubs to improve water infiltration into the ground, rain barrels, and rock checks which act like dams in a drainage ditch to slow down and filter rain water before it hits the storm sewer.

These green additions should be completed and reducing run–off by the end of the week.

Funding for this project came from a grant specified to help with storm water issues.