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Nitrogen, like phosphorus, is a nutrient that pollutes in state waters, and its concentration in many rivers has been increasing from historic natural levels over time due to human influences.…
Air sensors are instruments that measure air quality conditions in near real time.
The Rainy River - Headwaters Watershed covers nearly 1.9 million acres, starting in northern Cook and Lake Counties and flowing west/northwesterly into St. Louis County and the Canadian border waters.
The MPCA gave an environmental award to the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, which sold land so it could become a watershed wetland in Baxter. The project is being finalized in summer 2024.
Water scientists from the MPCA published four watershed reports in 2025, updating the data we need to keep Minnesota’s waters clean and protected.
“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.
Heavy metals are an ill-defined group of inorganic chemical hazards that include lead, chromium, arsenic, and cadmium. They may leach into soil and water from industrial sites, mines or…
1,4-dioxane was mainly used as a stabilizer for chlorinated solvent 1,1,1-trichloroethane. 1,4-dioxane can also be an unintended contaminant in the production of certain products, including some…
Water softeners produce much of the chloride that pollutes Minnesota’s waters. An MPCA grant aims to reduce that pollution with water softener replacement rebate programs.
Minnesota businesses, organizations, and municipalities seeking or holding MPCA wastewater permits are charged two basic types of permit fees: application fees and annual fees.
Sediment is composed of loose particles of sand, clay, silt, and other substances. Sediment flows into Minnesota lakes, rivers, and streams via runoff in both urban and rural areas.
The MPCA completed 68 enforcement cases for water quality, air quality, hazardous waste, stormwater, and wastewater violations in the first half of 2025.
The MPCA had approximately $2 million to support projects that focus on sustainable building and materials management strategies that reduce waste and increase deconstruction, salvage, and reuse.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of more than 100 chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline, and are also present in products made from fossil fuels, such as…
Ground-level ozone is a secondary pollutant formed through chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Ozone can irritate the eyes, nose and throat,…
The chemical 1,4-dioxane, a likely carcinogen, was detected in a private residential well in the Eastbrook Terrace area in Andover.
MPCA had approximately $250,000 in grant funding available to help Minnesota governments, businesses, institutions, and organizations address two specific needs: waste reduction/reuse and toxic products prevention.
MPCA had approximately $250,000 available to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through the use of stage 1 vapor recovery systems at gasoline-dispensing facilities throughout Minnesota.
Minnesota has a growing salty water problem that threatens its freshwater fish and other aquatic life. Chloride from both de-icing salt and water softener salt gets into lakes and streams, and…
Particulate matter (PM) refers to various air particles, including dust, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets that range in size from less than 0.1 microns in diameter (smaller than a single bacterium)…