Duluth, NE Minn. counties receive new flood recovery funding

The city of Duluth received a nearly $3.6 million state grant Thursday to help with its ongoing recovery from major flood damage nearly two years ago.

The funding will help stabilize banks and build retaining walls along several streams that run through Duluth into Lake Superior.

Duluth Mayor Don Ness says the city has completed emergency repairs on roads, bridges and other infrastructure damaged by flooding in June of 2012. Now he says they're focusing on so-called green infrastructure like streams, which play an important role in diverting stormwater through the city.

"We have 40 streams that come down our hillside, they provide great value for our residents, but they also create a lot of challenges, because you have all these bridges and culverts that cross over these wonderful streams," Ness said.

The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources awarded the funding, along with an additional million dollars for four counties in northeast Minnesota also affected by flooding.