Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Sam Brungardt, 651-282-6410 Saint Paul, Minn. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a first-in-the-nation statewide pollutant-loading, or Total Maximum Daily Load, study for mercury that the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency proposed last year. The TMDL study includes goals that the MPCA has set to reduce mercury pollution of Minnesota's lakes and streams to acceptable levels. EPA approval of Minnesota's mercury TMDL means that meetings with stakeholders that the MPCA has planned for some time will have a federally-approved basis for discussions. "Now that our mercury TMDL has been approved, the MPCA will work with the Minnesota Environmental Initiative to convene meetings with stakeholders during the next year to develop a plan to meet the ambitious goals established in the TMDL," MPCA Commissioner Brad Moore said. "Reducing air emissions in Minnesota by about 2,600 pounds from current levels will be especially challenging. Reductions that are scheduled to occur, like those by power plants as mandated in Minnesota's Mercury Reduction Act of 2006, are a big step toward meeting the goal. However, achieving the goal will require additional reductions from all sources, including industrial sources, power plants and mercury-containing products." Moore added that by achieving the mercury TMDL goal, Minnesota will be doing its part to address the mercury pollution problem, which is worldwide and respects no state or national borders. The MPCA's statewide approach to the mercury TMDL is a first for the nation. While other states have tackled the mercury-pollution problem by having a separate TMDL for each impaired water, the MPCA is taking a statewide approach because so much of the excess mercury comes from outside the state and atmospheric deposition of mercury is relatively uniform across the state. The mercury deposition-reduction goal set by the TMDL is high enough to address the mercury-pollution problem in northeastern Minnesota. Fish from northeastern Minnesota waters have mercury fish-tissue values 50 percent higher than do fish from water bodies in other parts of the state. The difference is thought to be due to the type of aquatic system that predominates. In northeastern Minnesota, aquatic systems are dominated by wetlands, where microorganisms produce more methylmercury, thus the higher levels of this dangerous form of mercury in fish. The federal Clean Water Act requires that states set standards to ensure that their lakes and streams can support "designated uses," such as "fishable and swimmable." Surface waters that do not meet the standard for a designated use are considered "impaired." The Clean Water Act also requires that states develop plans to return polluted surface waters to a condition that will support their designated uses. Mercury is one of the pollutants that can make a surface water "unfishable" because it leads to the methylmercury contamination of fish. Methylmercury-contaminated fish can be a threat to human health. That's why the Minnesota Department of Health has issued fish consumption advisories for Minnesota's lakes and rivers. According to the Fish Consumption Advisory program, "Young children, developing fetuses and breast-fed babies are most at risk, because small amounts of mercury can damage a brain that is just starting to form or grow. Too much mercury may affect a child's behavior and lead to learning problems later in life." The mercury in Minnesota's fish comes almost entirely from atmospheric deposition, with about 90 percent of that originating outside the state. The MPCA's mercury TMDL goal is to reduce mercury emissions from human activities within the state by 93 percent from 1990 levels. Mercury is responsible for 1,312 impairments of Minnesota lakes and streams - more than any other pollutant or condition. The TMDL document that the EPA approved this week describes the mercury impairment, its sources, and a pollution-reduction goal that will enable the impaired water bodies covered by the TMDL to meet water-quality standards. Persons who have questions about the MPCA's mercury TMDL may contact Howard Markus at 651-296-7295 or 1-800-657-3864. The mercury TMDLs that the EPA approved can be seen at www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/tmdl-mercuryplan.html#approval. Information about the stakeholder meetings that will be held this year to determine reduction strategies is available from Ned Brooks (call 651-296-7242 or 800-657-3864).