MANAGER PROFILE
Capitol Region Watershed District Administrator Mark Doneux.
Mark Doneux of Capitol Region Watershed District
16
challenges; the solutions; and, ultimately, the path CRWD has taken to become a leader in storm water management. Tyler Young: Can you tell us about your background in the water industry and your time with CRWD? Mark Doneux: I have been fortunate to work for 33 years in the water resources and watershed management sector. During the first 10 years of my career, I was in the private sector, working in the consulting industry. For the last 23 years, I have been in the public sector, and for the last 15 years, I have been the administrator for CRWD in St. Paul, Minnesota. Tyler Young: Could you provide a brief history of CRWD, including its mission and the services it provides to the area? Mark Doneux: Watershed districts are somewhat unique to the state of Minnesota. The idea for the watershed district started in the 1950s with the need to have an autonomous unit of government that could MUNICIPAL WATER LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARK DONEUX AND CITY OF ROSEVILLE.
In October 2017, the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) National MS4 Stormwater and Green Infrastructure Awards program recognized the Capitol Region Watershed District (CRWD), located in St. Paul, Minnesota, as the overall best score winners of the Phase II division. With its commitment to creating collaborative partnerships throughout the community, drive to collect and reuse storm water from new sources, and devotion to using groundbreaking technology to enhance their system, it is easy to see how CRWD leads the pack in storm water management. Tyler Young, a writer for Municipal Water Leader, spoke with CRWD’s administrator, Mark Doneux, about the district’s efforts to collect and use storm water in innovative ways. Throughout the interview, Mr. Doneux speaks about the
