After its confluence with the Minnesota River, the Mississippi River becomes too laden with sediment to support aquatic life. Please join FMR at the May 4th open house on the proposed clean-up plan to address this problem.

Photo: Image courtesy of the MPCA

After years of work by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and a number of stakeholders (including FMR staff), we are pleased to announce that public comment is now being sought on the Draft South Metro Mississippi River Clean-Up Plan.

Please join FMR and our partners, the National Park Service and the MPCA for a public open house on the proposed clean-up plan. Attendees will learn more about the project and have the opportunity to contribute their thoughts and feedback.

If you were only going to attend one FMR event in your life, we'd ask it to be this one.

The goal of the South Metro Mississippi River Clean-Up Plan is straightforward: water clean and clear enough to support aquatic life and vegetation in the metro portion of the Mississippi River. This stretch of the river, from Fort Snelling at St. Paul to upper Lake Pepinat Red Wing, currently suffers from high turbidity. In other words, it has too much suspended sediment (soil particles) to meet the state standard for support of aquatic life. The MPCA is proposing this clean-up plan, called a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), to protect this unique resource. Adoption of this plan will be the first step toward restoring the Mississippi River for generations to come. This is an opportunity Minnesotans can’t afford to lose.

The open house will be at the Merriam Park Community Library. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attendand pre-registration is not required. There will be presentations at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., each followed by a Q&A session with a panel of water quality and restoration experts. Arrive at whatever time is convenient for you. There will be educational displays with agency staff on-hand throughout the event to answer questions and explain the project in detail. 

For complete directions, including mass transit options, please visit the St. Paul Public Library Merriam Park location page. The library is located just off I-94, parking is free in the adjoining lot with off-street parking available on neighboring streets.

• Let your voice be heard!
Submission forms will be available at the open house. However, if you can't make it, comments on the proposed draft TMDL can also be submitted directly to:
     Norm Senjem,
     MinnesotaPollution Control Agency,
     18 Wood LakeDrive,
     Rochester, MN55904
     norman.senjem@state.mn.us

• Learn more about the South Metro Mississippi Turbidity TMDL.
— The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s website on the TMDL is a great place to start. For a quick but solid overview, download the MPCA’s four-page PDF Fact Sheet. 
— Additional background materials from the FMR site:
TMDL Plan Draft Finished (November, 2010)
On the Drafting of the TMDL (July, 2010)

• Learn more about TMDLs and The CleanWater Act at FMR’s “Clean Water Act 101” 

• Contact FMR’s Watershed Program Director Trevor Russell at (651) 222-2193 x18 or via our contact form to learn more about FMR’s role in the south metro turbiditystandard and how you can further be involved.