Trout Brook Nature Sanctuary, a 40-acre restored wilderness area near I-35E and Cayuga Avenue, was identified in CRWD’s 2010 Watershed Plan as an opportunity to “Bring Water Back to Saint Paul”. Additionally, it was a passion of residents to convert the brownfield site back into a natural area in this highly developed part of Saint Paul. Historically, Trout Brook was an open stream channel that connected Lake McCarrons in Roseville to the Mississippi River. In preparation for a new railroad line, the channel was filled and Trout Brook was diverted into an underground sewer pipe in the 1880s. This permanently altered the natural valley as well as the neighborhood’s connection to this important water resource.
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