Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Technical Contact: Howard Markus, 651-296-7792 Media Contact: Nancy Miller, Office: 507-280-3590 Pager: 651-339-3445 Rochester, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will host informational meetings in Mankato and Rochester to present a draft of the state's 2006 list of polluted waters. The meetings are scheduled as follows:
· Tuesday, Feb. 7 -- 1:00-3:00 p.m., Mankato Farm Service Agency Office, 1160 Victory Drive, Ste 1
· Wednesday, Feb. 8 -- 1:00-3:00 p.m, Rochester MPCA Office, 18 Wood Lake Drive SE
The meetings include a presentation on categories of impaired waters and how water bodies are placed on the list. Opportunities for public participation in the process of identifying and cleaning up polluted waters will also be discussed. Waters on the list, also known as "impaired waters" under the Federal Clean Water Act, do not meet water-quality standards. Pollutant levels in these waters are above acceptable limits. Therefore, these waters are unable to meet their designated uses for fishing, swimming and aquatic habitat. The state is required to update its polluted waters list every two years. The draft 2006 update includes 396 new listings, which brings the total list of impairments to 2,274. Since some waters have multiple impairments, the 2006 list includes 1,008 lakes and 721 river segments with one or more pollutant problems. Approximately 16 percent of Minnesota's lakes and 10 percent of stream reaches have been assessed at this time. As more water bodies are evaluated, the list is expected to grow larger. The south central and southeast portions of the state have several new listings in the 2006 draft. In the Minnesota River Basin, approximately 138 new stream reaches and 22 new lakes/reservoirs have been added. The Lower Mississippi River Basin saw an increase of 31 new stream segments and three new lakes/reservoirs. The Cedar River and Des Moines River Basins had 14 and 13 river reaches added, respectively. Two lakes in the Des Moines Basin were added as well. For details about the draft 2006 list of polluted waters, visit the MPCA Web site at hhref="/water/tmdl.html. The draft 2006 list of polluted waters in Minnesota is on public notice from Monday, Jan. 23, to Friday, Feb. 24, 2006. Informational meetings are scheduled throughout the state. The meetings include a presentation on categories of impaired waters and how water bodies are placed on the list. Opportunities for public participation in the process of identifying and cleaning up polluted waters will also be discussed. Changes to the meeting schedule (weather-related or otherwise) will be confirmed on the Web site as well. Direct questions, comments and requests for additional information to Howard Markus, MPCA, Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division, 520 Lafayette Road N., St. Paul, MN 55155, by calling 651-296-7295 or 1-800-657-3864 or by e-mail at howard.markus@pca.state.mn.us.