Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contact: Ralph Pribble, 651-296-7792 Howard Markus, 651-296-7295 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Editor's note: a radio actuality associated with this subject is available at/newscenter/radio.html St. Paul, Minn. -- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) announced today its biennial update of the federally required list of lakes and stream segments in Minnesota that are considered polluted and need further study to determine how they can be restored to a healthy condition. The draft update adds 396 new polluted waters to the existing list. The listed waters, also known as "impaired waters" under the federal Clean Water Act, do not meet water-quality standards. They contain various pollutants above acceptable limits designed to protect public uses of those waters. About two-thirds of the polluted waters on the current list are there because the Department of Health has advised people to limit consumption of fish caught in them to either no more than one meal a month or not at all, due to mercury contamination. Only a small fraction of Minnesota's lakes and streams have been assessed so far for impairments (14 percent of lakes and eight percent of streams). As the agency gathers more data, the number of listings has been growing. Along with it, public concern over the number of waters on the list has risen. State lawmakers have debated measures to devote more funding to cleaning up polluted waters for several legislative sessions, but a law has yet to pass. "Identification and restoration of our polluted waters is our number-one priority," said MPCA Commissioner Sheryl Corrigan. "Minnesotans place a high value on their water resources. Clean water is intrinsic to our quality of life, it supports healthy fish and wildlife, and is an economic driver for our state. Simply put, clean water is central to Minnesota's success." In the past, water regulators could focus most of their efforts on wastewater discharges from industry and cities. However, the majority of pollutants causing impaired waters come from more diffuse sources such as land-use practices, atmospheric deposition, and runoff from farms and cities. Corrigan noted that while regulation of traditional "end of pipe" sources will continue, a new approach is needed. "This is a environmental problem that can't be solved by just adding more regulation," Corrigan said. "Our thinking about how to protect and improve our waters has to change. Each and every one of us contributes to declining water quality, and we must all be part of the solutions." The Clean Water Legacy Partnership, a broad-based coalition of farm, industry, conservation, environmental and local government organizations, has developed a bill currently under consideration by the Minnesota Legislature. The Clean Water Legacy Act would provide $80 million per year for the next decade to address impaired waters. Legislators generally support the policies in the bill but were unable to agree on a mechanism for funding in the last legislative session. The group plans to bring the bill before legislators again in the 2006 session. Adding to the urgency to deal with impaired waters is a state Court of Appeals decision earlier this year that prohibits new wastewater discharges to impaired waters. As a result, a growing number of cities and industries in Minnesota are finding they cannot construct new facilities to accommodate growth and development, or to replace facilities that are failing or at the end of their useful life. The proposed 2006 Impaired Waters list, methodology for listing, and regional maps may be accessed on the MPCA's Web site at/water/tmdl/index.html#tmdl. A formal comment period and public meetings on the draft list will occur later (see below). Questions and requests for printed copies of the list may be directed to Howard Markus at 651- 296-7295 or 1-800-657-3864. --Public comment schedule
Although the updated list is available for public review and informal comment now, the formal public comment period on the draft list is from Jan. 23 through Feb. 24, 2006. A series of public meetings will be held during the formal comment period in MPCA offices in the following cities. Any changes to this schedule will be confirmed on the MPCA Web site at/water/tmdl/index.html. Date Location Time
Jan. 26 St. Paul 10:00 a.m. - noon
Jan. 30 Duluth 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Jan. 31 Detroit Lakes 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 1 Brainerd 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 6 Marshall 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 7 Mankato 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Feb. 8 Rochester 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.