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The Leech Lake River Watershed consists of approximately 854,659 acres (1,335 sq. miles) in the northern part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The watershed includes parts of Beltrami, Cass, and Hubbard counties and the Leech Lake Reservation (Leech Lake Band of Chippewa).
When temperatures climb, conditions are ripe for Minnesota lakes to produce algae blooms, some of which can be harmful to pets and humans.
A series of new culverts in Lake County reconnect brook trout habitat and provide resilience to climate change for area roads.
Countless bacteria can be found in land, water, humans, and animals. Most bacteria are beneficial, serving as food for larger organisms and playing critical roles in natural processes such as organic…
The MPCA studies, monitors, and regulates water pollutants to protect human health and the environment. Minnesota water quality standards strives to protect water for use, measures health of waters, and guides limits on what regulated facilities can discharge to surface waters.
The MPCA's regulatory, cleanup, and monitoring programs create and maintain spatial data that serve our environmental protection work and can be shared with partners and researchers.
Minnesota has enacted laws to end avoidable uses of PFAS in Minnesota by 2032.
In 2023, Minnesota saw more air quality alerts covering more days than ever before. Smoke from Canadian wildfires throughout the summer caused many of the alerts, though climate change is playing a growing role in Minnesota's air quality.
Stakeholders affected by the Minnesota Electronics Recycling Act must be registered with the MPCA.
Minnesota's law relating to the collection and recycling of video display devices ("televisions" and "computer monitors") sold to households/consumers was signed into law in May 2007.
Most AST systems that contain liquid capable of polluting the waters of the state are subject to state rules and permits.
From January through March 2025, MPCA air monitoring data showed elevated lead levels that exceeded national ambient air quality standards near the facility. An MPCA inspection of Gopher Resource this spring confirms that the source of the elevated lead levels has been addressed.
The Mississippi River - Grand Rapids Watershed covers 1,3 million acres and contains 1,908 miles of stream/rivers and 552 lakes greater than 10 acres. The watershed drainage comprises parts of the counties of Aitkin, Carlton, Cass, Itasca, and St. Louis.
The Mississippi River - Sartell Watershed covers approximately 652,800 acres (1,020 sq. miles) in the central part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The watershed includes parts of Benton, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Stearns, and Todd counties.
Minnesota rules identify 16 standing beneficial uses for which waste generators or end users can simply follow the applicable rules without contacting the MPCA.
The National Crude Oil Spill Research Site near Bemidji was formed after a pipeline break released 10,000 barrels of crude oil in 1979.
A training and certification program for evaluating aquatic life in Minnesota’s rivers and streams.
MPCA investigation found stormwater permit violations that occurred during a construction project in 2025, with sediment-laden stormwater entering a stream at a construction site in Chaska.
Study funded by the $850 million settlement that Minnesota reached with 3M in 2018 focused on the area served by the Valley Branch Watershed District’s Project 1007 rainwater conveyance system in the East Metro.
U.S. Steel Corp. operates the Minntac Taconite processing facility near the city of Mountain Iron, where it produces taconite pellets that are shipped for use at steel mills. U.S. Steel has applied for a reissued air permit so it can replace existing emissions controls in its pellet plant with cartridge filters.