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The Minnesota River - Yellow Medicine River Watershed (1.3 million acres) has traditionally been managed as two separate watersheds, the Hawk Creek Watershed to the north of the Minnesota River and the Yellow Medicine River Watershed to the south.

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…

The Two Rivers Watershed is part of the Red River Basin in northwestern Minnesota. Two Rivers actually consists of three branches: the North, Middle, and South Branch.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) today announced a new initiative to monitor water quality throughout the entire Mississippi River within Minnesota’s borders for the first time in a single year.

Seventeen TMDL projects undertaken in the Lower Minnesota River Watershed, to address nutrient, turbidity, fecal coliform, chloride, and other impairments.

The Buffalo River Watershed covers more than 1,100 square miles in portions of Becker, Clay, Otter Tail, and Wilkin counties, with a small portion of its headwaters in the White Earth Reservation.

A project to address excess sediment and turbidity in the Mississippi River, from Fort Snelling at St. Paul to upper Lake Pepin at Red Wing, based on a site-specific standard developed by the MPCA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

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.

Under the federal Clean Water Act, states must designate beneficial uses for all waters and develop water quality standards to protect each use.

The MPCA provides financial and technical assistance to local government and other water resource managers to address nonpoint-source water pollution.

The MPCA is proposing to amend Minnesota Rules governing animal feedlots.

The MPCA developed the Wastewater Nitrogen Reduction and Implementation Strategy to decrease the wastewater sector’s nitrogen loads for the protection and restoration of bodies of water in and downstream of Minnesota.

Controlling phosphorus is an important part of protecting Minnesota waters.

The Snake River Watershed is located north of the Twin Cities in the St. Croix River Basin and encompasses 1,006 square miles in five counties: Aitkin, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Pine, and Isanti.

The Redwood River is located in southwestern Minnesota in the counties of Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Pipestone, Redwood, and Yellow Medicine.

Kathy Wagner, recipient of the 2025 Community Conservationist Award from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD), discusses her personal conservation work and local environmental advocacy.

Excess nitrate remains a long-term challenge to manage. In our lakes, rivers, and streams, it is toxic to fish and other aquatic life. In drinking water, it can pose a risk to human health,…

Enbridge Energy is continuing restoration work around its new Line 3 crude oil pipeline across Minnesota. The new line replaces an aging Line 3 and began operating in October 2021, after Enbridge completed the project’s construction phase.

State agencies, counties, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, and many others are engaged in protecting Minnesota lakes.

One of 12 major watersheds of the Minnesota River Basin, the Watonwan River Watershed covers 878 square miles in south-central Minnesota.