MN's groundbreaking Groundwater Protection Rule goes into effect
After decades of delay, Minnesota’s Groundwater Protection Rule aims to protect public health by addressing fertilizer contamination in groundwater. This is the first time our state has exercised its regulatory authority over cropland agriculture to protect water quality. >>
FMR advocates call on MN to protect our drinking water!
Hat’s off to FMR’s advocates! On August 15, FMR staff hand-delivered 226 comments from River Guardians and other advocates calling on the state to both implement and improve a new state rule to protect our groundwater. >>
FMR’s comments on the proposed Groundwater Protection Rule
On August 15, FMR staff submitted comments to Judge Palmer-Denig in support of approving and improving the state’s proposed Groundwater Protection Rule. >>
What's it like to walk to the river in North Minneapolis?
The river is just a few blocks away but it may as well be miles. But community members, FMR and our Northside partners are working to change that. (Photo courtesy of Blue Cross Blue Shield.)
What's it like to walk to the river along Dowling Avenue North in Minneapolis? Harsh, inspiring and beautiful are all words that were used when we joined neighbors in lacing up our walking shoes and heading to the river on two warm September evenings.
With great change on the horizon for where Dowling meets the Mississippi (new riverfront parkland!), we walked and talked and imagined the possibilities. We'd hoped that bringing people to these spaces would spark interest in advocating for improved public access to the riverfront and we were not disappointed. We hope you'll join us too! >>
Proposed MN nitrate rule fails to protect drinking water
Annual crops planted in rows, like corn and soybeans, are treated with nitrate fertilizers that are increasingly ending up in Minnesotan's drinking water. (Photo by Weekly Grist, Joe Dempsey.)
We can all agree that clean, safe drinking water should be accessible and affordable for everyone regardless of geography or income. Sadly, that’s not the case for many Minnesotans.
Nitrate used in cropland fertilizer is a leading source of drinking water contamination in Minnesota. Although essential for plant growth and health, excess nitrate harms aquatic life and human health and drives the formation of the “Dead Zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. It's also extremely costly to Greater Minnesota communities.
That’s why FMR is working with our conservation allies to strengthen a new Nitrogen Fertilizer Rule – one of the few places in state law where regulators can require row-crop farming operations, the biggest source of nitrates, to reduce pollution to our waters. >>