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To ensure that every person in Minnesota has healthy air to breathe, the MPCA studies, monitors, and regulates air pollutants, primarily in three categories: criteria pollutants, air toxics, and greenhouse gases.
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.
Environmental Assessment Worksheets (EAW) and Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are part of MPCA's environmental review, providing a standardized and public process to disclose information about the potential negative environmental effects of a proposed development and ways to avoid or minimize them before the project is permitted and built.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for northern Minnesota. The alert runs until 11 p.m. on Tuesday, July 15. Air quality is expected to reach the red AQI category, which is unhealthy for everyone.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has issued an air quality alert for east central, north central, northwest, and northeast Minnesota. The alert takes effect 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, and runs until 9 a.m. on Monday, July 21. Air quality is expected to reach the red AQI category, which is unhealthy for everyone.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued an air quality alert for west central, north central, northwest, and central Minnesota. The alert takes effect at 6 a.m. on Saturday, May 31 and runs until 6 p.m. on Sunday, June 1. Air quality is expected to reach the red AQI category which is unhealthy for everyone.
The MPCA is seeking public comment on a draft wastewater permit and accompanying environmental assessment worksheet for a project that combines treatment facilities for five Wright County communities and improves water quality in the Crow River.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has extended an air quality alert for southeast and northern Minnesota. The alert is now in effect until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12, for southeast Minnesota and until 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13 for northern Minnesota. Fine particle levels are expected to reach the orange air quality index (AQI) category, a level considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Within the three major watersheds that cover the Twin Cities area, there are 33 smaller watersheds managed by their own watershed district or watershed management organization.
MPCA investigation determined Derek Vekich committed stormwater and wetland violations in 2024.
Lakes Concrete Plus, Inc. paid $25,000 in fines for selling 1,500-gallon and 2,000-gallon septic tanks from 2019 to 2022 that may contain weep holes, a violation of Minnesota law.
The Nemadji River Watershed spans the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and covers nearly 1.2 million acres.
A dedicated stakeholder advisory group was assembled from sectors that will be affected by PFAS at remediation sites to establish guidance for PFAS investigation and cleanup.
Allows new and expanding wastewater treatment facilities to receive a discharge permit prior to completion of an applicable phosphorus-related TMDL. Through pre-TMDL phosphorus trading a, a new or expanding facility may increase its phosphorus discharge by purchasing a phosphorus reduction from another source.
The Pine River Watershed is approximately 502,400 acres in size. The watershed drainage for the Pine River contains parts of Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing and Hubbard counties. Pine River and Crosslake are the major cities in the watershed.
The Little Fork River Watershed covers nearly 1.2 million acres, the main stem flowing 160 miles through north-central St. Louis County and heading northwest into Koochiching County. It flows more northerly until it reaches its confluence with the Rainy River about 11 miles west of International Falls.
Volkswagen settlement funds are helping MPCA clean up air pollution and invest in cleaner transportation to support a healthy environment and reduce emissions in Minnesota, especially in communities most impacted by vehicle pollution.
During the 2023 legislative session, legislators passed more than a dozen funding and policy proposals to address food waste, organics, recycling market development, and wood waste.
The MPCA completed 78 enforcement cases for water quality, air quality, waste, stormwater, and wastewater violations in the second half of 2025, for a total of 146 for the year.
The Mississippi River - Brainerd Watershed covers over 1 million acres in the north-central part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin in central Minnesota. The watershed encompasses all or parts of Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, and Todd counties.