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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 Big Fork River Watershed covers more than 1.3 million acres that include some of the state’s most pristine wilderness. The river flows north 165 miles from Dora Lake (45 miles northeast of Bemidji in north-central Itasca County) to the Rainy River, which forms the Minnesota-Canada border.
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 National Crude Oil Spill Research Site near Bemidji was formed after a pipeline break released 10,000 barrels of crude oil in 1979.
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.
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.
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.
The Rainy River - Rainy Lake Watershed covers 583,791 acres. Open water makes up 75,815 of those acres and wetlands occupy another 84,851 acres. The watershed is 64% in St. Louis County and 36% in Koochiching County. The northern boundary is part of the international border waters with Ontario, Canada.
Projects to prioritize environmental justice areas
A TMDL to address E. coli aquatic recreation impairments in five main-stem reaches of the Minnesota River.
The Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative emitted higher levels of hydrogen sulfide than allowed from its Renville facility, resulting in a $1.15 million fine following an MPCA investigation.
Canby Creek now flows into Del Clark Lake and protects Canby from flooding, while providing outdoor recreation and excellent water quality.
Four watershed scientists had an article published in LakeLine magazine. They report on 20 years of success getting lakes cleaned up.
Agropur Inc., doing business as Le Sueur Cheese Company, land applied too much industrial byproduct, resulting in rates of nitrogen and phosphorus that exceeded the allowed limits by more than 10 percent. The violations occurred in 2022, near its cheese production facility in Le Sueur, Minnesota.
Guidance for small businesses on reporting air emissions.
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.
The MPCA has actively been developing methods and building capacity to improve our ability to monitor and assess wetlands to protect and restore them.
The Mississippi River - Headwaters Watershed consists of 1.26 million acres (1,961 square miles) and contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca in Itasca State Park. The watershed includes parts of Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard and Itasca counties.
Waterways in the northeastern part of the state are generally in better condition than those in the southern, central, and western regions.