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One of 12 major watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin, the Watonwan River Watershed covers 878 square miles in south-central Minnesota.
Hear Josh Krenz's story about protecting water in Minnesota at We Are Water MN, a traveling exhibit and community engagement program that explores Minnesotans’ relationships with water. You can visit the exhibit from March 2 through April 24 at the Sherburne History Center in Becker, Minn.
The MPCA recognized 236 wastewater facilities for outstanding operations in 2024.
The Clearwater River Watershed drains an area of 886,600 acres in the Red River of the North basin. The river flows to the northwest and southwest, eventually emptying into Red Lake River near Red Lake Falls.
A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that drains off of it goes into the same place — a river, stream or lake.
News releases and featured stories from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Environmental rules and regulations are essential tools used to protect Minnesota’s environment, setting standards for environmental quality and limits on pollutants that can be discharged from facilities. The MPCA helps protect our environment by writing and enforcing these rules and regulations.
The Lower Minnesota River Watershed includes the lowest reach of the Minnesota River and flows into the Mississippi at Fort Snelling. The second-largest watershed in the Minnesota River Basin, it covers 1,760 square miles, divided by the Minnesota River itself.
MPCA has released the first in a series of reports on industrial uses of PFAS in Minnesota and identifying alternatives.
We Are Water MN travels to Stillwater to focus on the St. Croix River, featuring artwork by painter Kami Mendlik.
“Area C” is the name given to Ford Motor Company’s former industrial waste dump on the floodplain of the Mississippi River, at the base of the bluff below the former Twin Cities Assembly Plant in Saint Paul.
Funded projects to remove older diesel buses from service and replace them with new, cleaner models.
The Rapid River watershed covers 573,060 acres in northern Minnesota. Over 79% of the land in the watershed is owned or managed by state entities.
The Mississippi River - St. Cloud Watershed covers 691,200 acres (1,080 square miles) in the south-central part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. The watershed includes all or parts of the counties of Benton, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne, Stearns, and Wright.
Trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene have contaminated groundwater and caused vapor intrusion issues at this site.
We Are Water MN travels to Chisago County, where Dawn White has served as an educator and policy team member focused on preserving waters.
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.
Researchers collect samples of sediment from the bottom of Lake of the Woods in 2024. (Photo courtesy of St. Croix Watershed Research Station) After years of study…
Surface water assessment grants (SWAG) provide local organizations and citizen volunteers with funds to complete the monitoring needed to meet assessment requirements on Minnesota lakes and streams. Assessment is usually the first step in protecting or restoring surface waters.
SSTS staff contact information and areas of responsibility.