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The Lower St. Croix Watershed covers 585,735 acres and is located in northwest Wisconsin and east-central Minnesota.
The Zumbro River Watershed covers more than 900,000 acres and reaches parts of six counties in southeast Minnesota (Olmsted, Dodge, Steele, Rice, Goodhue, and Wabasha). Rochester, one of Minnesota's largest cities, is located in the southeast quadrant of the watershed.
The Vermilion River Watershed, located within northern St. Louis County, covers 662,427 acres, or 1,035 square miles.
When people think of sources of air pollution, they typically think about buildings with big smokestacks like power plants and factories. Only about a quarter of the air pollution in Minnesota comes…
The St. Louis River Mercury TMDL will determine mercury reductions needed for lakes and rivers in the St. Louis River watershed.
The Duluth Urban Area Watershed is a focused geographic area designed to recognize the complexity and challenges in an urban center with a water-rich environment. It is defined by a series of small watersheds that are portions of three major watersheds.
A stormwater system upgrade in Duluth was expanded with the help of an MPCA employee who tapped into available funding. It protects Lake Superior and can serve as an example for other cities and counties.
Find out what’s being done in Minnesota’s watersheds to protect and improve water quality.
The MPCA completed 78 enforcement cases for water quality, air quality, waste, stormwater, and wastewater violations in the second half of 2025, for a total of 146 for the year.
The Cottonwood River is located in southwestern Minnesota in the counties of Brown, Cottonwood, Lyon, Murray, and Redwood. It begins near Balaton in southwest Lyon County.
The Minnesota portion of the Roseau River watershed covers 774,197 acres; an additional 594,560 acres are across the U.S. border in Canada.
Our climate has already changed and will continue to change. Minnesotans are feeling impacts of climate change, from higher temperatures, more extreme storms with intense flooding, and changes in our…
Image Climate change continues to have a destructive impact on Minnesota’s infrastructure, presenting a direct threat to our homes, businesses, roads…
Addressing climate change presents us with a historic opportunity to strengthen our economy, improve our health, and create a more equitable Minnesota for everyone.
The Mississippi River - La Crescent Watershed drains 95 square miles in Houston and southeast Winona counties, an area defined by wooded bluffs and spring-fed cold-water streams that flow directly to the Mississippi River.
The MPCA’s role in regulating data centers The MPCA ensures data centers meet strong environmental standards to protect our air, water, and the health of Minnesotans. We monitor and regulate…
The St. Louis River Watershed covers 3,584 square miles at the head of the Great Lakes and represents the extreme headwaters of the St. Lawrence River.
Cleveland-Cliffs owns the Minorca Mine northeast of Virginia, Minnesota. The mine’s two taconite mining pits are about one mile southeast of the plant.
The Red River of the North - Sand Hill River Watershed covers 708,469 acres and is part of the Red River Basin in northwestern Minnesota and southeastern North Dakota.
The Pine River Watershed is approximately 502,400 acres in size. The watershed drainage for the Pine River contains parts of Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing and Hubbard counties. Pine River and Crosslake are the major cities in the watershed.