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Every two years, MPCA creates a list of impaired waters in the state that do not meet water quality standards.
The Olmsted Soil and Water Conservation District's Soil Health Farm demonstrates how farmers can benefit from practices that also provide resilience to climate change.
Join the celebration! We look forward to highlighting Minnesota’s clean water successes and invite you to use our 50th anniversary art and branded graphics.
Addressing excess nutrient levels in Lake Pepin based on the site-specific water quality eutrophication criteria for the lake developed by the MPCA.
MPCA studies shows 75% of Minnesota lakes meet standards for recreation. Clean Water Fund dollars help answer water quality questions.
Less than three years after Minnesota passed the country's first ban on TCE, a carcinogenic solvent, facilities around the state have removed it from their processes.
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 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 Vermilion River Watershed, located within northern St. Louis County, covers 662,427 acres, or 1,035 square miles.
Under the federal Clean Water Act, states must designate beneficial uses for all waters and develop water quality standards to protect each use.
Researchers collect samples of sediment from the bottom of Lake of the Woods in 2024. (Photo courtesy of St. Croix Watershed Research Station) After years of study…
Intense storms of late spring can wash soil and other pollutants into rivers. Producers can use several techniques to protect their soil and water quality.
The MPCA plans to amend Minnesota Rules chapter 7050, which establishes beneficial uses and water quality standards to protect those uses, and designates where the uses occur in waters of the state.
Planned amendments to Minn. Rules ch. 7050 affect the Class 1 beneficial use, which protects waters (both surface and groundwater) used as a source for domestic consumption.
The disposable wipes toolkit includes free, customizable communications resources to help communities inform their residents about the hazards of flushing disposable wipes.
Sustained efforts by cities and water management organizations have restored water quality in two Dakota County lakes.
Environmental rules and regulations are essential tools used to protect Minnesota’s environment, setting standards for environmental quality and limits on pollutants that can be discharged from facilities. The MPCA helps protect our environment by writing and enforcing these rules and regulations.
The Root River starts as a drainage ditch in Mower County, then winds 81 miles from intensely farmed areas through more wooded, rolling terrain, and finally empties into the Mississippi River south of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
The Nemadji River Watershed spans the Minnesota-Wisconsin border and covers nearly 1.2 million acres.
The Clean Water Act established the framework for creating water quality standards and continues to help us protect Minnesota's prized lakes and rivers.