How is Minnesota doing on implementing the strategy to reduce nutrient pollution? Minnesota agencies have completed a progress report that evaluates the state’s efforts at the halfway point toward its 2025 targets.
Report and appendices
Five-year progress report on Minnesota’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy (wq-s1-84a)- Executive summary (wq-s1-84b)
- Appendix A: State level program advancements since 2014 (wq-s1-84d)
- Appendix B: External factors affecting water quality (wq-s1-84e)
- Appendix C: River nutrient trends in Minnesota (wq-s1-84f)
- Appendix D: Maximum return to nitrogen values (wq-s1-84g)
Overview
The report examines progress in three main areas.
Analysis of trends in waters over the past one to two decades: Is water quality improving?
- Phosphorus concentrations are down but nitrogen concentrations are up. However, significantly higher rainfall in recent years has resulted in increased runoff that offsets progress made with phosphorus and further increases nitrogen levels.
Evaluation of state-level program advancements: Are programs making progress?
- Minnesota has advanced more than 30 large-scale programs in the past five years to reduce nutrient pollution, but more time is needed for them to be effective.
Assessment of change in practices: Are enough practices being added to reduce nutrient pollution?
- While wastewater treatment has helped reduce phosphorus levels and practices have gone into place on several hundred thousand acres of cropland, there is still a great deal of work to do in both urban and rural areas.