Test for contaminated drinking water? Brown County says ‘no’
Bowing to pressure from ag groups, the Brown County Board of Commissioners in south-central Minnesota recently declined a free state program offering free private well testing for drinking water contamination. >>
It’s time to put our waters on a low-salt diet
We use salt to manage snow and ice in Minnesota, but too much can irreparably harm our lakes and streams. It's time for Minnesota to go on a low-salt diet. (Photo Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.)
Just 1 teaspoon of salt is enough to permanently pollute 5 gallons of water. Chloride. (salt) pollution to Minnesota’s waters has made headlines for all the wrong reasons, and it's time for all of us to do our part. Here are some short term and long term long-term solutions to ponder and this winter approaches. >>
Neighboring suburbs helped dry up White Bear Lake
As reported by the Star Tribune, new state agency findings are helping us understand the relationship between unsustainable groundwater use and White Bear Lake, one of many lakes known for "shrinking" in Minnesota.
Combined with a recent related ruling, we hope the new report will push us towards real progress to protect the Land of 10,000 Lakes' vital water resources. >>
State studies confirm: 40 percent of MN lakes and rivers are polluted
The Lake Pepin-Mississippi watershed is among many that feel to meet water quality standards. (Photo courtesy of the MPCA)
In the land of 10,000 lakes, about 40 percent of Minnesota’s waters fail to meet basic health standards according to a pair of new state water quality reports — with our namesake river, the Minnesota, among the most polluted. >>
Judge faults DNR for allowing overpumping of White Bear Lake’s aquifer
Water levels in White Bear Lake have fallen due to excessive pumping from the aquifer underneath the lake.
In a sweeping order, Ramsey County Judge Margaret Marrinan faulted the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for authorizing unsustainable groundwater pumping; depleting the aquifer and artificially lowering water levels in White Bear Lake. The ruling could have widespread implications for groundwater management in Minnesota.
Evaluating the final Clean Water Fund bill
HF 707 betrays the expectations of Minnesota voters by raiding $22 million in Clean Water Fund money for administrative costs for local governments, while failing to heed the recmmendations of Minnesota's Clean Water Council.
How water fared in the legislative session + a happy hour invitation
While the 2017 Minnesota legislative session didn’t go as well as we hoped — we failed to make any meaningful progress on water quality — we can say for certain that the final bills were a great improvement over those originally vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton.
Thank you FMR River Guardians, Water Action Day participants and everyone who joined in our efforts to stand up for clean water this session!
Learn more from our Legislative Updates blog and join us for happy hour, Tuesday, June 27 to recap the session with the FMR Capitol Crew and discuss what's next.
Environment bill becomes law: What’s in & what’s out?
The Minnesota Legislature's original environment bill was one of the most sweeping anti-environmental bills to advance at the Capitol in many years. Luckily, it was vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton on May 12. So what made it into the final bill that the governor signed on May 30? Some rollbacks, no water quality progress, but not the worst provisions were removed during final negotiations with the Dayton administration.
Sigh... Environment bill signed. Legacy funds shifted.
We're pretty sure that when Minnesotans passed the Legacy Amendment, this isn't what they — what we — had in mind. Just signed by Gov. Mark Dayton, the environment bill shifts voter-mandated conservation funds to administrative costs. Thank you to all the River Guardians who tried to prevent this, we look forward to inviting you to happy hour soon to recap the session.
Where the Legislature stands on water & the environment in its final week
This 2017 Legislature has featured a series of sweeping assaults on our environment, including widespread rollbacks to bedrock environmental finance and policy positions that threaten to undermine water quality and river health throughout the state. Here's where things stand.