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In karst landscapes, the distinction between groundwater and surface water is blurry.
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.
The Nemadji River Watershed spans the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and covers nearly 1.2 million acres.
When leaves fall on streets, sidewalks, and other hardscapes in urban areas, they wash into the storm drains and end up in lakes and rivers where they feed algae growth. The algae then decomposes and uses up oxygen that fish and native plants need.
The Vermilion River Watershed, located within northern St. Louis County, covers 662,427 acres, or 1,035 square miles.
The Minnesota River - Mankato Watershed covers 861,886 acres across Cottonwood, Brown, Redwood, Renville, Sibley, Nicollet, Blue Earth, and Le Sueur counties in south-central Minnesota.
The Cedar River Watershed in Minnesota encompasses 454,029 acres in Mower, Freeborn, Dodge, and Steele counties. This watershed covers prime agricultural land with many streams and drainage ditches flowing into the river.
The Clearwater River Watershed drains an area of 886,600 acres in the Red River of the North basin. The river flows to the northwest and southwest, eventually emptying into Red Lake River near Red Lake Falls.
Minnesota has revised state water quality standards to incorporate a tiered aquatic life use (TALU) framework for rivers and streams.
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.…
The Cloquet River Watershed covers approximately 507,858 acres (794 square miles) and is located within portions of Lake and St. Louis Counties in northeastern Minnesota.
The Rapid River watershed covers 573,060 acres in northern Minnesota. Over 79% of the land in the watershed is owned or managed by state entities.
From January through March 2025, MPCA air monitoring data showed elevated lead levels that exceeded national ambient air quality standards near the facility. An MPCA inspection of Gopher Resource in spring 2025 confirmed that the source of the elevated lead levels was addressed.
Kohlman Lake, one of 27 bodies of water to come off the impaired waters list this year, did so with substantial help from the Clean Water Fund.
This Winnebago River consists of a stream and lake system in southern Minnesota that flows into Iowa. The water resources here face several water quality challenges, including high nutrient and bacteria levels.
The MPCA will analyze varying background sulfate levels across Minnesota, which could inform our implementation of the wild rice sulfate water quality standard.
Volunteer-collected data are regularly used in decision-making and conservation efforts. Find a program that excites you and join in.
Abdirahman Hassan Abdirahman Hassan’s story begins in Mombasa, Kenya, a coastal city where the presence of the Indian Ocean was a childhood highlight. “I grew up…
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.
James Wooton puts his scuba diving skills to work monitoring for aquatic invasive species in Otter Tail County lakes.