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We come from the stars Nibi Walks: A prayer for the water
The MPCA 401 certification fills a unique niche in protecting water quality by applying state water quality standards to projects.
Protecting and restoring water quality is one of the MPCA's core areas of focus.
State and federal permits and regulations that are designed to protect groundwater and surface water (lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands) apply to specific facilities and processes that could pose…
The MPCA works with city and county governments, watershed districts, consultants, and others on monitoring, protecting, and restoring water quality. This is a repository of guidance and technical resources for agency partners.
A water quality variance is a temporary change in a state's water quality standard for a specific pollutant and its relevant criteria, allowing deviation from meeting a water quality-based effluent limit for a particular discharger.
The Army has proposed a plan for cleaning up contaminated sediment in Round Lake, located within the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) site.
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.
Improving water quality in Lake George has required treating phosphorus in the water and filtering pollutants out of urban stormwater.
Data shows that ice cover on Minnesota's lakes doesn't last as long as it used to. That means a shorter ice fishing season, yes, but it also has implications for the environment and Minnesota's fish and wildlife.
Every two years, MPCA creates a list of impaired waters in the state that do not meet water quality standards.
The Keep It Clean campaign, a 2023 Minnesota law, and many partners working together are adding up to less garbage and waste left behind on frozen lakes.
From the days when raw sewage flowed into rivers and lakes, Minnesota’s water bodies have come a long way. However, there is still work to be done in the restoration and protection of our waters.
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
The MPCA uses the Environmental Quality Information System (EQuIS) to store water quality data from more than 17,000 Minnesota sampling locations.
Removing of an old dam and restoring a creek's curves are improving habitat and water quality in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed.
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…
Clean Water Partnership loans help local units of government fund projects that protect and restore water quality in lakes, streams, and groundwater aquifers.
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.
The MPCA proposes to adopt the U.S. EPA's 2013 national recommended water quality criteria for ammonia as its Class 2 ammonia water quality standards for the protection of aquatic life.