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The Chippewa River Watershed covers 2,085 square miles and drains portions of eight counties in west central Minnesota.
The East Fork Des Moines River Watershed covers 839,518 acres, which includes Minnesota's Martin and Jackson counties.
The Pomme de Terre River begins cool and clear in Otter Tail County, bordered by wooded hills and grassy meadows. It flows south through several lakes; as the river nears its mouth, it is bordered by eroding banks, becoming increasingly muddy before discharging into the Minnesota River at Marsh Lake.
Two small creeks in the Nemadji River watershed are cleaner, and some fish have returned, after restoration work that the MPCA took part in.
The Vermilion River Watershed, located within northern St. Louis County, covers 662,427 acres, or 1,035 square miles.
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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) today took another step forward in addressing nitrate pollution statewide by issuing updated water permits for about 1,000 large feedlot operations. These permits take effect when the current ones expire.
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.
Removing Middle Lake from the impaired waters list required wrangling with a bottom feeder, the invasive carp.
Minnesota has revised state water quality standards to incorporate a tiered aquatic life use (TALU) framework for rivers and streams.
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 Bois de Sioux River Watershed covers 718,685 acres, and includes the drainage basins of Lake Traverse and the Bois de Sioux River.
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.
An index of biological integrity (IBI) is a particularly powerful tool that provides an accurate measure of the condition of the biological communities and are a direct determinant of the attainment of aquatic life uses.
The MPCA has released the draft 2025 Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy for public review and comment.
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.
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.
The MPCA’s Smart Salting program helps cut down on chloride pollution by training snowplow drivers and municipalities to use less salt on the roadways.
In Minnesota, certain tasks in the design, installation, repair, maintenance, operation, or inspection of septic systems can only be done by certified individuals. Find out what training, experience, and exams are required to fulfill the requirements for certification.
The National Crude Oil Spill Research Site near Bemidji was formed after a pipeline break released 10,000 barrels of crude oil in 1979.