The Clean Water Council was created to advise the Legislature and the governor on the administration and implementation of the 2006 Clean Water Legacy Act (Minn. Stat. 114D).
The 28-member council represents organizations with a major role in achieving clean water, enabling consensus building and coordination on a wide array of issues critical to the people of Minnesota.
Your dollars at work
Funding for this initiative comes from the Clean Water Fund, part of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that Minnesotans approved in 2008. The MPCA uses Clean Water Fund dollars to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, streams, and groundwater.
Council recommendations
The Clean Water Council’s biennial report includes Clean Water Fund and policy recommendations, and a progress report on Clean Water Fund activities, for the Legislature and the governor.
FY28-29 budget development
The Clean Water Fund was created to improve water quality in ways that were beyond the state’s funding capacity in 2008. The result has been the development of programmatic, systems-level approaches to securing a clean water future for Minnesota.
The next round of budget development began in January 2026. New this year is a scoring rubric, designed by council members and approved at the October 2025 council meeting.
Request for public input
On Monday, June 15, nearly 30 people joined the Clean Water Council in a day-long workshop as council members prepare to draft initial funding priorities for the FY28-29 biennium (read more about the workshop in our most recent newsletter). In a culminating activity, workshop participants were asked to draft considerations the Council should keep in mind when setting budget priorities. With more funding requested than is available, members will need to determine which proposed programs to add, which to fund at higher levels, which to protect from funding reductions, and which to reduce.
Now, we ask for your help in prioritizing those considerations: please fill out this survey and share your thoughts. It closes 11:59 p.m. on July 7.
People are also welcome to continue to submit emails or provide feedback on draft recommendations as they are developed later this summer and early fall. Council members truly appreciate hearing from members of the public as they prepare their biennial recommendations to the governor and Legislature.
FY28-29 policy development
The policy committee engages throughout the two-year cycle in the development of policy statements to guide action on emerging or pressing water challenges. Input for what to consider is shared by council members and is collected through all public input and engagement efforts of the council.
Caring for our water
This new story map illustrates how programs supported by the Clean Water Fund fit together into a cohesive strategy to protect, enhance, and restore water quality for Minnesotans.
Meetings of the full council
The Clean Water Council meets monthly. Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month (January and February are held on the fourth Monday due to holidays) and typically run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are invited to attend.
Upcoming meetings
- July 20, 2026
- Aug. 24, 2026
- Sept. 28, 2026
- Oct. 19, 2026
- Nov. 16, 2026
- Dec. 14, 2026
Recent meetings
Contact the Clean Water Council administrator for older meeting materials.
Stay connected
Sign up for the Clean Water Council newsletter to keep up with the work and water-related news and activity.
Council members
Members serve until their successors are appointed by the appointing authority.
| Member | Representing | Term expires | Appointing authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Brainerd | City governments | January 2028 | Governor |
| Eunie Biel | Township officers | January 2027 | Governor |
| Gail Cederberg, PhD | Metropolitan Council | January 2027 | Met Council |
| Steven Christenson | Business organizations | January 2027 | Governor |
| Tannie Eshenaur | Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) | January 2027 | MDH Commissioner |
| Warren Formo | Statewide farm organizations | January 2027 | Governor |
| Brad Gausman | Statewide hunting organizations | January 2027 | Governor |
| Kelly Gribauval-Hite | Business organizations | January 2028 | Governor |
| Justin Hanson | Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) | January 2027 | BWSR |
| Holly Hatlewick | Soil and water conservation districts | January 2027 | Governor |
| Sen. John Hoffman | Minnesota Senate | January 2027 | Senate |
| Rep. Steven Jacob | Minnesota House of Representatives | January 2027 | House |
| Peder Kjeseth | Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) | January 2027 | MDA Commissioner |
| Annie Knight | Environmental organizations | January 2027 | Governor |
| Fran Miron | County government (seven-county metropolitan area) | January 2028 | Governor |
| Jason Moeckel | Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) | January 2027 | DNR Commissioner |
| Jeff Peterson | University of Minnesota (UMN) | January 2027 | UMN Board of Regents |
| Rep. Kristi Pursell | Minnesota House of Representatives | January 2027 | House |
| Peter Schwagerl | Statewide farm organizations | January 2028 | Governor |
| Glenn Skuta | Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) | January 2027 | MPCA Commissioner |
| Chris Meyer | County government (rural counties) | January 2027 | Governor |
| Sen. Nathan Wesenberg | Minnesota Senate | January 2025 | Senate |
| Ole Olmanson | Representative of Tribal governments | January 2027 | Governor |
| April Swenby | Watershed districts | January 2030 | Governor |
| Jessica Wilson | City governments | January 2027 | Governor |
| John Barten | Nonprofit organizations focused on improvement of Minnesota lakes and streams | January 2027 | Governor |
| Steven Besser | Statewide fishing organization | January 2028 | Governor |
| Richard Biske | Environmental organizations | January 2028 | Governor |