Search
“Urban wood,” or wood salvaged from cities, suburbs, and towns, is a growing issue in Minnesota because of severe weather, urban expansion, and the emerald ash borer. Rather than burning the trees as waste, a preferred option for dealing with urban wood involves creating durable wood products like furniture, building materials, and wooden décor.
The MPCA added three sites to the state’s priority list of contaminated sites that need further investigation and cleanup under Minnesota’s Superfund law.
Through this Minnesota climate smart food systems (CSFS) grant, the MPCA offered approximately $10 million in grant funding for projects that will expand Minnesota’s infrastructure capacity for composting source-separated organic materials (SSOM) with a focus on wasted food and food scraps.
Minnesota has enacted laws to end avoidable uses of PFAS in Minnesota by 2032.
Residents' guide to stormwater permitting.
Mankato nonprofit South Central Minnesota Food Recovery used MPCA grant money to build out a network to save food from the landfill and distribute it to people in need.
The MPCA investigates sites where hazardous substances have been or could be released to identify risks and appropriate remediation plans.
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.
In Minnesota, about 18,000 regulated underground storage tanks (UST) are in use. State rules specify requirements for underground storage tanks (UST) that store petroleum or hazardous substances, and any piping or other structures that are part of the tank systems.
Ask the MPCA features questions Minnesotans have asked us, on the issues the agency works on, from waste disposal, water and air quality, and chemicals in products to recycling and reuse,…
The U.S. EPA has awarded Minnesota $200 million to cut climate pollution from our state’s food systems through the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program.
From 2023-2025, Northshore Mining released recycled water to the ground seven times and water relating to mining processes four times. Its largest unpermitted release was nearly 400,000 gallons of recycled water. Northshore Mining has documented equipment failure as the reason for the 11 releases.
Company failed to install and upgrade equipment compatible with the fuels it was storing at seven of its convenience stores in Freeborn and Mower counties.
MPCA's compliance and enforcement program tracks how well wastewater treatment facilities are complying with their permits and takes enforcement actions when necessary.
Countless bacteria can be found in land, water, humans, and animals. Most bacteria are beneficial, serving as food for larger organisms and playing critical roles in natural processes such as organic…
Metal recycler in Brainerd constructed and operated a metal shredder without obtaining an air permit and under-reported VOC emissions in 2022.
The MPCA closed 118 enforcement cases for water quality, air quality, waste, stormwater, and wastewater violations in the second half of 2023.
Green and safer product chemistry is formulating or designing a new product (or reformulating an existing one) to reduce harmful environmental, workplace, human health, and energy use effects over the product's entire life cycle.
As part of the PFAS pollution prevention law called Amara’s Law, manufacturers are required to report intentionally added PFAS in products sold in Minnesota and pay a fee. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended the reporting due date to Sept. 15, 2026.
BMPs required to manage the slurry to comply with Minnesota statute and agency rules to protect water quality.