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The MPCA works with city and county governments, watershed districts, consultants, and others on monitoring, protecting, and restoring water quality. This is a repository of guidance and technical resources for agency partners.
The Watershed Pollutant Load Monitoring Network (WPLMN) is a partnership that collects data on water quality and flow in Minnesota.
Removing of an old dam and restoring a creek's curves are improving habitat and water quality in the Pomme de Terre River Watershed.
BALMM emphasizes land use practices to improve or protect water quality, particularly in the areas of watershed management, aquifer protection and floodplain management.
Protecting and restoring water quality is one of the MPCA's core areas of focus.
New reports from the MPCA highlight restoration investments and improved water quality while calling for continued work to address persistent challenges in southeastern Minnesota.
A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that drains off of it goes into the same place — a river, stream or lake.
Water scientists from the MPCA published four watershed reports in 2025, updating the data we need to keep Minnesota’s waters clean and protected.
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 MPCA monitors and assesses lakes around the state to determine if they meet water quality standards.
Hear Josh Krenz's story about protecting water in Minnesota at We Are Water MN, a traveling exhibit and community engagement program that explores Minnesotans’ relationships with water. You can visit the exhibit from March 2 through April 24 at the Sherburne History Center in Becker, Minn.
Long-term lake management considers the unique environmental, cultural, and biological factors affecting the lake and sets a priority on finding lasting solutions.
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.
Clean Water Fund dollars come from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment that Minnesotans approved in 2008.
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…
Surface water assessment grants (SWAG) provide local organizations and citizen volunteers with funds to complete the monitoring needed to meet assessment requirements on Minnesota lakes and streams. Assessment is usually the first step in protecting or restoring surface waters.
Significant restoration work by organizations in the area have made the south branch of the Buffalo River a water-quality success story.
MPCA studies shows 75% of Minnesota lakes meet standards for recreation. Clean Water Fund dollars help answer water quality questions.
This watershed is located in the southeastern tip of Minnesota, known for its scenic bluffs. More than 900,000 acres drain to the Mississippi River at Reno, Minn., but only 117,000 of those acres are in Minnesota.
A new planning effort in northwest Minnesota takes a basin-wide approach to reducing the state's phosphorous contributions to the Red River, and to Canada's Lake Winnipeg.