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March 2025
 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 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 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.
 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.
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.
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.
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.
 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 — 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.
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