Minnesotans get a say in protecting the state’s water





Minnesota Pollution Control Agency logo on white background [ [link removed] ]




Waterfront Bulletin









Working with partners to restore and protect Minnesota's waters






"March 2025"

Shovelnose Sturgeon

MPCA scientist Jenna Nelson holds a shovelnose sturgeon Sept. 4, 2019. It was one of five sampled at three stations in the Le Sueur River Watershed after finding none in 2008.

Le Sueur River Watershed update finds many conditions the same

The MPCA has published a new report about the Le Sueur River Watershed [ [link removed] ] that shows overall, water-quality conditions have not dramatically changed. The Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) report updates work completed in 2015. Using this second set of numbers, MPCA scientists can highlight trends in watershed conditions.

While the overall health of the watershed showed little change between 2008 and 2019, some select waterbodies did improve, including St. Olaf and Reeds lakes, as well as the lower reaches of the Maple River. This study looks at the ways lakes and streams do not meet water-quality standards, referred to as "impairments." No new lakes were added to the impaired list. Five lakes continue to be impaired. Numerous stream segments continue to be impaired because of bad living conditions for bugs and fish, excess sediment, and mercury in fish tissue.

Conditions in the watershed could improve through the efforts of its residents and local resource professionals. Landowners have implemented hundreds of best management practices (BMPs), and the citizen-led Le Sueur River Watershed Network [ [link removed] ] continues to educate the public and promote water-quality efforts in the watershed.

The report recommends teamwork by government agencies, landowners, and engineers. Flexible funding could help landowners improve soil-health practices such as planting cover crops. A focus on restoring healthy channels and plant life could reduce erosion found on steep streambanks. Water quality also could be improved by septic system compliance, shoreline protection, stormwater management, and more, the report says.

*Submit a comment* [ [link removed] ]


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Dana Vanderbosch and Robyn Dwight

MPCA Assistant Commissioner Dana Vanderbosch (left) presents the award to Robyn Dwight.

MPCA presents conservationist award to advocate who keeps waste off lake ice

Minnesota’s frozen lakes might be great for a long weekend of ice fishing, but as anglers set up camp for days, that ice becomes the perfect platform to set down garbage and forget about it. Proper disposal of human waste also is a challenge.

These are problems Robyn Dwight started tackling three years ago, and her work earned her the 2024 Community Conservationist Award presented by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts.  

“Robyn exemplifies the spirit of the award, a citizen who has dedicated untold hours and energy toward the cause of improving the water quality of the precious lakes of Minnesota,” said Glenn Skuta, director of the MPCA’s Watershed Division.

*Feature story about Dwight's work* [ [link removed] ]


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MnDOT and Stahl Construction fined for discharging sediment-laden water into Nine Mile Creek

An MPCA investigation found that MnDOT and Stahl Construction discharged sediment into Nine Mile Creek during the construction of a new MnDOT truck facility in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. MnDOT was fined more than $19,000, and Stahl Construction was fined more than $17,000. Corrective actions have taken place, including vacuuming sediment out of the creek and implementing best practices to prevent erosion and sediment from entering the creek.

*News release* [ [link removed] ]


City of Long Prairie and C&L Excavating fined for construction stormwater violations

The City of Long Prairie and C&L Excavating discharged sediment-filled water into the Long Prairie River, according to an investigation by the MPCA. They were each fined more than $10,000. The discharge occurred during the construction of CSAH 56 & 38, according to the MPCA investigation. C&L Excavating has completed a series of corrective actions to prevent sediment and erosion into the Long Prairie River.

*News release* [ [link removed] ]


Louisiana-Pacific of Two Harbors fined for stormwater and wetland violations

Louisiana-Pacific in Two Harbors has been fined more than $15,000 for stormwater and wetland permit violations, according to an MPCA investigation. Inspectors found that stormwater discharges discolored a stream, and that a collapsed earthen storage container storing contaminants spilled into a nearby wetland. The company has taken corrective action.

*News release* [ [link removed] ]


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Scientist stands in creek to monitor water quality

An MPCA water monitor conducts a water quality test in Hawk Creek near Granite Falls.

Minnesotans get a say in protecting the state’s water

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is committed to ensuring the quality of water across the state — including in its world-famous 10,000 lakes. To meet that goal, it’s crucial that the state hears from everyone who depends on that water for drinking, swimming, fishing, and its many other uses.

Every three years, the MPCA conducts a triennial standards review [ [link removed] ] — TSR for short — to get input from the public on goals to protect the state’s waters. A public comment period ended in February, and more steps lie ahead.

*Feature story about TSR* [ [link removed] ]











In the news

State lawmakers introducing a bill to extend the state ban on mining in the Boundary Waters

Minnesota lawmakers are introducing a bill to extend the state ban on mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that would also prohibit copper-nickel mining. It follows an executive order by President Trump that essentially cancels a Biden Administration moratorium on mining in the area. The plan is for a $1 billion open-pit mine near Babbitt and a processing plant near Hoyt Lakes that would be Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine. — WCCO Radio [ [link removed] ]

Lake Ocheda

Lake Ocheda in 2023. Photo by Okabena-Ocheda Watershed District

Lake Ocheda slated for year-long drawdown

Lake Ocheda Advisory team members voted in January to move forward with plans for a full-year drawdown of the three-basin lake south of Worthington, Minnesota, in hopes of improving water quality and encouraging submergent vegetation to grow in the shallow prairie lake. The action will result in an addendum to the Lake Ocheda Management Plan, allowing the DNR to conduct a full-year, and up to a two-year drawdown, of Lake Ocheda as conditions warrant. — The Globe [ [link removed] ]

$20 million from 3M settlement to fund outdoor projects in east metro

Money from Minnesota’s settlement with 3M over “forever chemicals” will soon be available for natural resources projects in the east Twin Cities metro. Under the 2018 settlement, Maplewood-based 3M agreed to pay the state $850 million for contamination from PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. — Minnesota Public Radio [ [link removed] ]

Upper Mississippi River freezes over less than ever, another sign life is changing

Scientists are studying how climate change will impact ice cover and thickness on the upper Mississippi. Three decades of data suggest the ice is already thinner, covers less of the river, and melts earlier than it used to. By the end of the century, one climate model suggests, the river may only reliably freeze near the Twin Cities — dramatically altering a way of life for the people and animals that use it farther downstream. — Yahoo News [ [link removed] ]

Frozen septic and sewer lines on the rise

Some may say the lack of snow is a good thing, but if you’re a homeowner it may not be. Gopher Septic in Rochester says it’s received an unusual amount of calls about frozen lines. The winter snow usually provides insulation, preventing frost from dipping too low in the ground. But no snow means no insulation. — 6 News [ [link removed] ]

*Septic system advice* [ [link removed]. ]


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Recently in social media

Instagram [ [link removed] ]
Plastics for the trash

Some plastics cannot be recycled and must be thrown in the trash. Visit the MPCA Instagram account [ [link removed] ] and scroll back for this and more recycling tips!






Join the volunteer team!
Volunteer water monitoring web banner

For 50 years, volunteers have gathered critically important water clarity data on Minnesota lakes and streams. For some bodies of water, volunteer monitoring provides the only data available, making this work indispensable.

*Learn about the program* [ [link removed] ]






The MPCA Waterfront Bulletin newsletter welcomes news from partners about
watershed projects, people, and upcoming events throughout Minnesota.

Email submissions to: [email protected].






The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is a state agency committed to ensuring that every Minnesotan has healthy air, sustainable lands, clean water, and a better climate.








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