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Find out what’s being done in Minnesota’s watersheds to protect and improve water quality.
The Lake Superior - South Watershed covers 402,371 acres.
Located in southeast Minnesota and northeast Iowa, the Upper Wapsipinicon Watershed lies within the Eastern Iowa and Minnesota Drift Plains portion of the Western Corn Belt Plains ecoregion.
The Mississippi River - Winona Watershed covers 419,200 acres in the southeast Minnesota counties of Wabasha, Winona, and Olmsted. A majority of the watershed is cropland, with forest and grassland covering large portions as well.
The Rock River watershed covers more than 1 million acres in Rock, Nobles, Pipestone and Murray counties in southwestern Minnesota. It is the largest of the four watersheds in Minnesota that are part of the Missouri River Basin, extending south into Iowa.
Implementing water quality standards come with tangible costs and benefits. Costs such as taxes to residents, regulated parties, and communities help achieve benefits such as increased property values, tourism, and protecting human health.
Intense storms of late spring can wash soil and other pollutants into rivers. Producers can use several techniques to protect their soil and water quality.
The MPCA is authorized to develop numeric water quality criteria that apply specifically to a water body or region where the pollutant is found, using data from that water body or region.
Image Although Minnesota is rich in lakes and streams, Lake Superior is easily the most spectacular waterbody in Minnesota. Despite its immense size…
To protect human health and the environment, we need to limit the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in our waters to safe levels. Safe levels means water can be used for drinking,…
In karst landscapes, the distinction between groundwater and surface water is blurry.
“Urban wood,” or wood salvaged from cities, suburbs, and towns, is a growing issue in Minnesota because of severe weather, urban expansion, and the emerald ash borer. Rather than burning the trees as waste, a preferred option for dealing with urban wood involves creating durable wood products like furniture, building materials, and wooden décor.
The Redeye River Watershed covers nearly 900 square miles and is located the northwestern to north-central part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin in central Minnesota. The watershed encompasses all or parts of Becker, Otter Tail, Todd, and Wadena counties.
The MPCA is working to address environmental concerns at the closed Freeway Landfill, to prevent the buried waste from affecting drinking water and the nearby Minnesota River.
The Snake River begins its 50-mile course in Marshall County and drains an area of 611,800 acres. The Snake River Watershed lies within Marshall, Polk, and Pennington Counties in NW Minnesota.
The Thief River begins its course in Marshall County at Thief Lake, flowing south/southwest to converge with the Red Lake River.
The MPCA and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working together on an enforcement investigation to address elevated lead emissions at Federal Ammunition in Anoka.
The Upper Red River of the North Watershed drains an area of 371,689 acres in the Glacial Lake Agassiz Plain, while the extreme southeastern portion of the basin lies in the North Central Hardwoods ecoregion. The Red River begins its course just below Breckenridge, Minn.
The Minnesota River - Yellow Medicine River Watershed (1.3 million acres) has traditionally been managed as two separate watersheds, the Hawk Creek Watershed to the north of the Minnesota River and the Yellow Medicine River Watershed to the south.
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.