MPCA Brainerd Office
MPCA Brainerd Office
7678 College Road, Suite 105
Baxter, MN 56425
Phone: 218-828-2492
Toll Free: 800-657-3864
Fax: 218-828-2594
Driving Directions
Heading north on Hwy 371: Follow Hwy 371 into Baxter (do not take 371 to Brainerd's business district). Take a right on to College Road. The MPCA is down two blocks on the left at 7678 College Road, Suite 105.
Heading south on Hwy 371, heading east and west on Hwy 210: At the 210/371 Jct, head south on 371. Take a left on to College Road. The MPCA is two blocks down on the left at 7678 College Road, Suite 105.

Counties Served
The MPCA's Brainerd Office serves the following counties:
- Benton
- Cass
- Crow Wing
- Kanabec
- Mille Lacs
- Morrison
- Pine
- Sherburne
- Stearns
- Todd
- Wadena

Regional Highlights
Staff Directory
All staff can be reached toll free at 800-657-3864. Click on a staff member’s name to contact them via e-mail.
Administration
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Reed Larson | Manager, North Central Region | 218-316-3883 |
| Stephen Mikkelson | Information Officer | 218-316-3887 |
| DeAnne Pierzinski | Office and Admin. Specialist | 218-316-3870 |
| Vicky Settergren | Office and Admin. Specialist Intermediate | 218-316-3869 |
| Christina Sundgaard | Office Specialist | 218-316-3884 |
Watershed Unit
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Laurel Mezner | Unit Supervisor | 218-316-3889 |
| Mark Evenson | Monitoring Engineer - monitoring, modeling and data analysis | 218-316-3908 |
| Vacant | Upper Mississippi River Basin Coordinator, county water plans, TMDLs | 218-316-3894 |
| Greg VanEeckhout | Watershed Project Manager - TMDL Studies, watershed assistance (Cass, Stearns, Todd, Wadena counties), Sauk River and Long Prairie River watershed projects. | 218-316-3896 |
| Maggie Leach | TMDL Coordinator - Crow River and Big Sandy Lake Area TMDL projects. | 218-316-3895 |
| Bonnie Finnerty | Watershed Project Manager - TMDL studies, watershed assistance (Aitkin, Itasca, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, and Pine counties), Mille Lacs Lake/Rum River, Big Sandy Lake area and Swan River watershed projects. | 218-316-3897 |
| Pete Knutson | Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Specialist, supporting Brainerd, Detroit Lakes and Duluth regions | 218-316-3898 |
| Rhonda Adkins | Watershed Project Manager - TMDL studies, watershed assistance (Crow Wing county), Pine River and Nokasippi watershed projects, Upper Mississippi River Basin newsletter | 218-316-3900 |
| Phil Votruba | Watershed Project Manager - TMDL studies, watershed assistance (Benton, Morrison, and Sherburne counties), Mississippi River Headwaters and St. Cloud/Metro fringe watershed projects | 218-316-3901 |
| Denise Stromme | Watershed Project Manager, civic engagement | 218-316-3888 |
| Chuck Johnson | Surface Water Hydrologist | 218-316-3906 |
| Kevin Stroom | Watershed Biologist | 218-316-3911 |
Feedlot Unit
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Samantha Adams | Feedlots--compliance and technical assistance (Carlton, Cook, Kanabec, Lake, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, St. Louis counties) | 218-316-3892 |
| John Pokorney | Feedlots - compliance and technical assistance (Benton, Cook, Lake, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, and Wadena counties) | 218-316-3893 |
Municipal Division — Wastewater
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Ron Swenson | Unit Supervisor | 218-316-3862 |
| Herschel Blasing | Wastewater facilities — compliance and technical assistance | 218-316-3860 |
| Brian Fitzpatrick | Wastewater facilities engineering review | 218-316-3859 |
| Robin Novotny | Wastewater NPDES and SDS permit writer | 218-316-3851 |
| Pat Shelito | ISTS compliance and technical assistance - Brainerd Region. | 218-316-3853 |
| Steve Stark | Wastewater facilities - soils and groundwater technical review | 218-316-3852 |
Municipal Division — Stormwater
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Lucas | Construction and municipal storm water compliance and assistance | 218-316-3874 |
| Lisa Woog | Stormwater compliance and enforcement coordination | 218-316-3891 |
Municipal Division — Solid Waste
|
Staff
|
Services Provided
|
Phone
|
|---|---|---|
| Curt Hoffman | Solid waste--compliance and technical assistance, County SWO liaison | 218-316-3854 |
| Dan Vleck | Solid waste - engineering review | 218-316-3856 |
Remediation — Petroleum Program
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Don Milless | Unit Supervisor | 218-316-3861 |
| Adam Sekely | Hydrogeologist - LUST Program | 218-316-3880 |
| Michelle Oie | Project Manager-Enforcement and Cost Recovery Coordinator | 218-316-3877 |
| Amy Jendro | Project Manager - Petroleum remediation Program; Land Treatment Coordinator | 218-316-3857 |
Remediation — Landfill Program
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Roger Tix | Pollution Control Specialist | 218-316-3875 |
75Industrial Division — Enforcement/Compliance/Permitting
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Sheryl Bock | Hazardous Waste compliance, healthcare initiative | 218-316-3882 |
| David Crowell | Air quality compliance and enforcement | 218-316-3855 |
| Justin Barrick | Industrial Wastewater compliance and enforcement | 218-316-3858 |
| Rachel Studanski | Air quality compliance and enforcement | 218-316-3876 |
| Theresa Haugen | Biofuels Sector permitting | 218-316-3920 |
| Jeff Weite | Aboveground/underground petroleum storage tank compliance and technical assistance | 218-316-3873 |
| Stan Kalinoski | Aboveground/underground petroleum storage tank compliance and technical assistance | 218-316-3879 |
Emergency Response and Large Facility Cleanup
|
Staff
|
Services Provided
|
Phone
|
|---|---|---|
| Walt Haas | Statewide emergency response, emergency preparedness training | 218-316-3878 |
Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division - North Biological Monitoring Unit
|
Staff |
Services Provided |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Niemela | Unit Supervisor | 218-316-3919 |
| Erin Andrews | Biological Water Monitoring | 218-316-3909 |
| Michael Kelly | Biological Water Monitoring | 218-316-3910 |
| Michael Kramschuster | Biological Water Monitoring | 218-316-3914 |
| Jessica Poegel | 218-316-3915 | |
| John Sandberg | Biological Water Monitoring | 218-316-3913 |
| Ben Lundeen | Stream Invertebrate Specialist | 218-316-3894 |
Environmental Analysis and Outcomes Division - Groundwater & Flow Monitoring:
|
Staff
|
Services Provided
|
Phone
|
|---|---|---|
| Jim MacArthur | Surface water monitoring/ modeling -- Upper Mississippi River Basin | 218-316-3881 |
Trainings, News and Notices
To see the latest MPCA news releases, public notices and listing of training opportunities, visit the MPCA News/Notices page.
Brainerd Area Environmental Learning Network (BAELN)
BAELN works to create opportunities for people in the environmental field, and the community, to receive timely information on environmental and sustainability issues, along with the chance to network with others. Formed in 2003, BAELN offers professional development opportunities through presentations, tours and networking opportunities from September through June.
BAELN is a collaborative effort of the following organizations: 1000 Friends of Minnesota, Central Lakes College, Crow Wing County Soil and Water Conservation District, Initiative Foundation, MN Department of Natural Resources, MN Department of Transportation, MPCA, The Nature Conservancy, Paul Bunyan Trail Association, and the U of MN Extension Service.
For more information on BAELN, please contact Stephen Mikkelson at 218-316-3887, or toll free at 1-800-657-3864. Or by e-mail at: stephen.mikkelson@state.mn.us.
Environmental Links
- Agricultural Utilization Research Institute
- Board of Water and Soil Resources
- Dept. of Agriculture
- Dept. of Health
- Dept. of Natural Resources
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Legislative Commission on Minnesota Resources
- Environmental News Network
- Environmental Quality Board (Minnesota Planning Agency)
- Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD)
- Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts
- Minnesota Environmental Fund
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge
- University of Minnesota Extension

