New coalition makes ag pollution headlines — FMR piles on the dirt

Standing in front of the MPCA offices in downtown St. Paul, our coalition dumped buckets of runoff sediment onto tarps to demonstrate the 13:1 ratio of sediment pollution coming from agricultural lands compared to urban landscapes.

Minnesotans believe in fairness. When it comes to our waters that means those who contribute the most pollution should bear the largest share of the responsibility for cleaning it up. Unfortunately, field agriculture — by far the largest source of polluted runoff the states waters — remains exempt from Clean Water Act standards.

Thats why, on May 29th, a unique coalition of Minnesota cities, conservation groups (including FMR) and farm and business representatives called upon the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to hold farm operators accountable for cleaning up their share of runoff pollution flowing into the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers.

Standing in front of the MPCA offices in downtown St. Paul, our coalition dumped buckets of runoff sediment onto tarps to demonstrate the 13:1 ratio of sediment pollution coming from agricultural lands compared to urban landscapes.

Members of the League of Minnesota Cities, Friends of the Mississippi River, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Minnesota Cities Stormwater Coalition and Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy stood with a Red Wing businessman and Northfield area farmer to ask the MPCA board to begin crafting a system for holding farm operators accountable to water quality standards.

The event generated statewide press coverage, including:

• Minnesota cities call for tougher river sediment controls on farmers by Dennis Lien of the Pioneer Press
• Coalition targets Minnesota farmers for cleanup of river sludge by Warren Wolfe of the Star Tribune
• and from the Associated Press, published in multiple cities, Do Minnesota farmers pollute too much?