Skip to main content

We need your help to further protect our waters in southeastern Minnesota

Safe drinking water is essential for the health and well-being of all Minnesotans. In southeastern Minnesota, approximately 300,000 people rely on 93 community water systems. More than 93,000 Minnesotans rely on private wells. The Minnesota Departments of Health and Agriculture and the Pollution Control Agency, along with local governments, are working together to protect drinking water supplies.

Unfortunately, too much nitrate — a form of nitrogen — is polluting Minnesota’s lakes, rivers and groundwater. On average, 158 million pounds of nitrate leaves Minnesota per year in the Mississippi River. More than 70% of the nitrate in Minnesota waters comes from cropland, with a vast majority from commercial fertilizer applied on fields. The remaining sources of nitrate include wastewater treatment plants, septic systems, and urban runoff.

Too much nitrate is harmful to our health and environment

Nitrate in lakes, rivers, and streams are toxic to fish and other aquatic life. In drinking water, nitrate can be harmful to human health, especially babies. Consuming too much nitrate can affect how blood carries oxygen.

The MPCA’s monitoring has found approximately one in five lakes, streams, and rivers in Minnesota exceed nitrate levels. Approximately 8 percent of community drinking water systems have too much nitrate. Central Minnesota counties are more vulnerable to nitrate contamination because of widespread sandy soil, and regions of southeast Minnesota are vulnerable because of shallow bedrock, sinkholes, and underground caves, which lead to exchanges between surface and groundwater resources.  

A southeastern Minnesota working group forms to address nitrate

Minnesota state agencies remain committed to protecting human health and the environment and ensuring a thriving agricultural economy. State agencies and local partners continue to develop collaborative plans to address nitrate contamination in southeastern Minnesota and ensure residents have drinking water that meets the Safe Drinking Water Act standard for nitrate.

To further help address nitrate, the State of Minnesota is forming a Southeast Minnesota Nitrate Strategies Collaborative Work Group to: 

  • Build a shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities of addressing nitrate pollution in southeastern Minnesota. 
  • Deliberate and build consensus on ways to strengthen the long-term nitrate reduction strategies. 
  • Develop recommendations for improving, prioritizing, and implementing strategies, including strengthening communication and engagement activities, policy or funding proposals, or collaborative strategies to accelerate prevention and mitigation activities.  

The work group consists of residents and local leaders from Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Wabasha, and Winona counties, and meet approximately once a month for day-long, in-person meetings between June 2024 and June 2025. Interested residents from southeastern Minnesota are encouraged to apply to be part of the workgroup by May 10, 2024.

Additional information

Multiple groups petitioned the U.S. EPA under the Safe Drinking Water Act claiming that nitrate contamination in some water systems in southeastern Minnesota was endangering public health. In December 2023, MPCA worked with other state agencies including the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture to respond. The MPCA will work with other government entities, community partners, landowners, and residents to develop long-term solutions that protect drinking water, address nitrate contamination, and support responsible farming practices.