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September 2025
 MPCA helps tap funding streams to create green infrastructure
In the middle of Duluth sits Hartley Park, 640 acres of wooded land that residents cherish and use to hike, ski, and bike. It's the home of a popular nature preschool and community education. Water in the park flows to Tischer Creek, a coldwater trout stream that empties into Lake Superior on the grounds of Glensheen mansion, Duluth’s most famous historic home.
When St. Louis County started to plan road construction near the park in 2021, the MPCA’s Jesse Martus saw an opportunity not just to improve stormwater runoff in the park but also to provide better protections for Lake Superior and to get more people in the community thinking about their impact on local ecosystems.
“We need to rethink stormwater,” he said. “You can live in an urban area, and if you take care of it, it can be amazing. Too often, people see urban tributaries just as stormwater conveyance systems. But we need to start seeing these places as real streams, with life and value, not just pipes for water to run through.”
Martus works in the MPCA’s Watershed Division as a coordinator for Lake Superior Lakewide Action and Management Plan (LAMP), which works with dozens of agencies to protect the lake’s ecosystem. Specifically, Martus identifies federal funding opportunities, such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), and in 2020, he began reaching out to cities and counties to explain those opportunities.
 How to minimize pollution and health risks caused by floods
Flooding conditions can be destructive in a variety of ways. One concern is hazardous materials being swept up by floodwaters and spread around, posing risks to the environment and to human health. Here are some strategies for minimizing this type of pollution and damage.
Household hazardous waste
If flooding is predicted for your community, move hazardous household products out of areas of your home that are most likely to be flooded, such as garages and basements. Take any products you no longer need to your county's hazardous waste disposal facility. Check for:
- paints, varnish, paint thinner, and furniture stripper
- batteries
- furniture polish, bleach, and spot removers
- motor oil, gasoline, and antifreeze
- weed killers, insecticides, and fertilizers
- drain, oven, and floor cleaners
- disinfectants and ammonia
- pharmaceuticals, nail polish and remover, and sharps
Move items such as vehicle batteries and propane tanks to higher ground. Keep canned goods and other foodstuff out of harm’s way. If these come in contact with flood waters, you should consider them unsafe to eat and throw them out.
Your county's environmental office will be able to provide further guidance on the disposal of household hazardous waste.
Contact the Minnesota State Duty Officer at 651-649-5451 or toll-free at 800-422-0798 to report spills of hazardous materials and wastes.
Read the feature article for more information, including tips for:
- fuel storage tanks
- manure storage
- industrial hazardous waste
- more resources
Deadline Sept. 10
MPCA extends comment period for Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) released the draft 2025 Minnesota Nutrient Reduction Strategy on June 14. The updated strategy shows the state’s progress in reducing nutrients and ways to achieve Minnesota’s water quality goals. The public is invited to comment on the draft through Sept. 10, 2025.
The updated strategy documents a decade’s worth of progress that has helped reduce phosphorus in our water, shows mixed results on nitrogen, and identifies where work should be intensified.
 MPCA’s Lisa Weidemann builds bridge between agency and public
As if it weren’t enough to spend her time supporting the recent firefighting efforts in northeast Minnesota, Lisa Weidemann helps build connections between Minnesota residents and the agency’s work as a community affairs specialist with the MPCA. Whether she’s hosting information sessions online or facilitating public meetings, she’s often the first point of contact for community questions.
Francesca "Frannie" Crego
Bike rides along the Mississippi River lead to lessons on water quality
Francesca Crego, or Frannie, fondly recalls bike rides along the Mississippi River’s edge with her family. Growing up in the city, Frannie appreciated the feeling of mysticality brought by the river’s presence. As she got older, she began to recognize the significance of this river, thinking, “I live a mile away from a river that connects the whole country, from top to bottom. Realizing that helped me become aware of how much water connects us all.”
In her teens, she found herself wanting to join in on the stewardship of these natural spaces. Frannie joined the Mississippi River Green Team, a youth work crew that takes care of parks throughout the city.
 Jen Widmer, water resources engineer and a board member of the Ney Nature Center.
Childhood memories inspire wetland restoration
Throughout her life, Jen Widmer has felt a deep connection to wetlands. As a child, she played broomball on the ice of a wetland near her home. She once attempted swimming in the wetland but was joined by leeches. Despite finding the water “gross,” Widmer recalls fond memories spent along the water’s edge, where she watched geese and other waterfowl.
Now a water resources engineer and a board member of the Ney Nature Center, Widmer gets to restore some of those wetlands that had an influence on her.
MPCA reports enforcement actions that affect water health across state
The MPCA posts news releases about enforcement actions on its website. Recent headlines include:
- Aspen Hills Homeowners Association’s wastewater treatment plant fined $15,000 for water permit violations
- Blue Earth County and Mathiowetz Construction Company fined more than $35,000 for stormwater violations from sediment discharge into the Blue Earth River
- Grand Rapids man fined $13,750 for construction stormwater and wetland violations near Bigfork in Itasca County
- Septic system tank manufacturer fined $75,000 for potential sealing issue, to offer tank warranty to customers
- Stormwater and wetland violations behind nearly $43,000 in fines for Prime Homes and owner
- Ramsey and Lino Lakes companies fined more than $40,000 for construction stormwater violations
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