Mission Creek

Mission Creek is located in far western Duluth in the Fond du Lac neighborhood. This trout stream runs along Mission Parkway and the Superior Hiking Trail, and empties into the St. Louis River just downstream of Chambers Grove Park. During the June 2012 Flood, Mission Creek was severely damaged. The creek jumped around the debris catcher, created a new channel, caused a lot of erosion and flooded parts of the neighborhood. After the flood the City of Duluth and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) evaluated many options to restore the stream.

Now the SWCD has partnered with the City, MNDOT, and the DNR. We plan to restore the stream in the summer of 2019 and are working with our agency partners to make this happen. We will realign the stream beginning above the debris catcher and ending near the homes. We will remove the debris catcher, provide habitat for fish, reduce erosion, and revegetate the stream corridor by planting trees, shrubs and grasses. This project has been a long time coming and we are excited to restore this unique stream. This project is made possible by a grant provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, through the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Fund – part of the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment.

As work upstream pushes forward, we will continue to partner with the City of Duluth and the DNR to find options to assist landowners. We have presented information to residents and plan to continue to keep residents updated while we evaluate options.

Assessment photos of culverts in Mission Creek