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States are responsible for developing a Regional Haze State Implementation Plan (SIP) that addresses regional haze in each Class I area located within the state and in each Class I area located…

MPCA studies shows 75% of Minnesota lakes meet standards for recreation. Clean Water Fund dollars help answer water quality questions.

The Thief River begins its course in Marshall County at Thief Lake, flowing south/southwest to converge with the Red Lake River.

For more than 50 years, volunteers have gathered critically important water clarity data on Minnesota lakes and streams.

Improving water quality in Lake George has required treating phosphorus in the water and filtering pollutants out of urban stormwater.

MPCA recognized 253 municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants for outstanding operations in 2023.

Dakota County is now hosting We Are Water MN, a traveling exhibit and community engagement program that explores Minnesotans’ relationships with water.

Every two years, MPCA creates a list of impaired waters in the state that do not meet water quality standards.

The Kettle River Watershed covers 672,235 acres in northeast Minnesota, covering parts of Aitkin, Carlton, Kanabec, and Pine counties.

The MPCA 401 certification fills a unique niche in protecting water quality by applying state water quality standards to projects.

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.

Determine what type(s) of water quality permit is required at facilities that mine construction sand and gravel; industrial sand; quarry limestone, granite or dimension stone; operate hot mix asphalt production areas; produce concrete block, brick and other products; and/or produce ready-mix concrete.

Karst near Oxbow Park and Zollman Zoo, host of the We Are Water MN traveling exhibit. Phil George, who lives in rural Byron, Minnesota, has always felt a deep…

Implementing water quality standards come with tangible costs and benefits. Costs such as taxes to residents, regulated parties, and communities help achieve benefits such as increased property values, tourism, and protecting human health.

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.

The MPCA monitors and assesses lakes around the state to determine if they meet water quality standards.

The Zumbro River Watershed covers more than 900,000 acres and reaches parts of six counties in southeast Minnesota (Olmsted, Dodge, Steele, Rice, Goodhue, and Wabasha). Rochester, one of Minnesota's largest cities, is located in the southeast quadrant of the watershed.

MPCA municipal wastewater permit staff

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

Find out what’s being done in Minnesota’s watersheds to protect and improve water quality.